


Growing up Jedi

by CardiacCane



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Jedi Temple, Jedi Training, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-13
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-20 05:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 47
Words: 157,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5992831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardiacCane/pseuds/CardiacCane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mediocre Jedi Initiate stares down his last chance at becoming a Padawan. To find his path he will have to overcome his past failings. His journey will reveal much about himself, his friends and his place in the galaxy. </p><p>Characters: Mostly OCs, Luminara Unduli,<br/>Era: Just before TPM<br/>Rating: PG-13<br/>Category: Drama/Action</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings, Reality Check

Disclaimer: This is Disney's playground. I'm just playing in it. All copyrights are theirs.

A/N: Characters: Mainly OC, but Luminara plays a reasonable role in this story  
Genre: Drama  
Timeline: Just before TPM

  
The question that drove me to write this story was a simple one – 'what would the life of an average or even below-average Jedi be like?' There is so much attention paid to the important characters – Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda etc. that I'm not sure I actually know what life is like if you aren't the Chosen One or destined for the Jedi Council. Some of my favourite books to read of the past few years have featured Jedi that aren't that powerful - Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy, Etain Tur-Makan are two that come to mind immediately. It's refreshing to watch a character actually have to struggle to resolve situations, where it seems like they might actually get hurt in a fight, but still be able to use the Force. This story draws much of its inspiration from those characters, who to me are much more inherently interesting if not as central to the main story of Star Wars.

This story is *very* OC heavy, which I think may turn off some readers, and understandably so. A story which has OC's in it is an inherently risky read. Is the author merely living out a fantasy of putting himself into the Star Wars Universe? Does the OC have anything interesting to say? Can an OC be written convincingly? These are all fair questions to ask any story like this, all I would say is that all characters start from somewhere, and I'm asking you to give mine a chance – I think that you'll enjoy the ride that they take.

One thing I can proudly say is that the story is actually finished already– it's quite long (120k+ words, 200+ pages on my Word document) but you don't have to worry about the author getting bored, or busy or abandoning the idea. I can even offer that if you like the story so much, shoot me a PM and I'll send you a nice .pdf of the story so you can take it wherever you want – it might contain some editing mistakes but the story will be yours in a nice format.

So without further adieu, I take you to the Jedi Temple, a few months before the events of The Phantom Menace….

* * *

**Chapter 1: Beginnings, Reality Check**

The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was one of the most famous buildings in the entire Republic. But to Jedi Initiate Sascha Whitestar it was something more than just a famous building, it was his home. Ever since he was young, he had learned, played and worked within the walls of the Jedi Temple, endeavouring to hone his talent with the Force under the watchful eye of the many Jedi Masters that were eager to train the next generation of Jedi Knights. Today, he had taken a break from his studies to wander around in one of his favourite rooms in the Jedi Temple, the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

Even though he had lived in the Jedi Temple for most of his life and explored the lush greenery of the room more times than he could count, he was still finding new sections of the Room of a Thousand Fountains to explore. In fact, Sascha was amused at the very idea of calling it a room at all. It was so massive that he could have been the only occupant, or just as easily, there could have been a thousand Jedi hidden from sight in its various paths and enclosures. When he was younger, he had thought that the Room of a Thousand Fountains was perhaps a bit ostentatious, even if it was just an elaborate greenhouse. Now as a teenager, he had come to a different conclusion, finding the room to be peaceful and harmonious. Sascha walked around the room, inspecting the flowers that were in bloom, taking his time to admire the exotic greenery from planets he one day hoped to travel to.

Walking into one of his favourite sections of the Fountain Room, which featured an old, and extremely rare Corelian birch tree, he found what had brought him to this room. Sitting languidly in a meditative position underneath the foliage of the beautiful old tree was his closest friend at the Jedi Temple, Tyra Harker. He and Tyra were the same age, fifteen, and they had been a part of the same clan growing up in the Temple. Fast friends from the moment they met, they had grown into two very different young Jedi, but it hadn't seemed to diminish their friendship in the slightest.

Tyra was one of the few people Sascha knew that could look intense, even when completely relaxed in meditation. Studying, training, sparring, or just walking down the halls of the Jedi Temple, Tyra did everything at full speed with no reservations. At times, it had made her a challenging person to have in his Jedi Initiate clan because she was so focused on her goals. Nonetheless, while some of her peers found her intensity off-putting, her closest friends, Sascha foremost amongst them, knew how to break through her intense demeanour and converse with the thoughtful young woman that lay underneath her tough persona.

His best friend was a human like him; she was short and athletic looking, with her brown hair tied in a practical ponytail. A single braid of hair ran from just behind her right ear and fell to just past her shoulder, an indication of her rank as a Padawan learner. Tyra had been chosen to be the apprentice of Teff Nal'ma a Twi'lek Jedi Knight almost two years ago and she had taken the first step to becoming the excellent Jedi Knight that everyone knew that she would become. Her experiences as a Padawan had not changed her that much; she was just a bit older, a bit wiser, and overall just more mature.

"You're thinking so loud you are interrupting my meditations, Sascha," remarked Tyra without moving from her meditative pose underneath the old tree. 

He smiled, "I'm pretty sure that is impossible, Tyra." 

"Well, you know, you get into the big wide open galaxy and you learn a LOT of things are possible, despite what we've been taught," countered the still motionless Tyra.

Sascha sat quickly on a nearby rock and looked across at his friend, who seemed stoic in her meditative trance, but he had known her since she was two years old and he could see the faintest of smiles tugging across the lips of his best friend. "So Padawan Harker, what news from the galaxy?"

Tyra shook her head, "It still feels weird to be called a Padawan, even after being one for almost two years now." She gave him a slight, friendly smile and said, "Don't worry I'll be calling you Padawan Whitestar soon enough." 

He glanced away, "I don't think you will, Tyra." Ignoring the pain in his heart that it took to speak the next few words, he said them anyway, "I'm thinking of leaving the Jedi Order."

"What?!" Tyra shook out of her meditative stance to turn her intense, brown-eyed stare on him. "You're prepared to walk away from the Jedi? Why? What aren't you telling me Sascha?"

Sascha stared at the ground, unwilling to meet the gaze of his friend, "At some point you have to admit to yourself that your dream isn't going to happen…and I think I've reached that point Tyra. I'm fifteen now and that is rather old for an Initiate. Sure, I love helping out in the Archives or helping teach the younger Initiates, but it is time for me to admit that I'm not going to be selected to become a Padawan. Honestly, I'm not sure why I haven't been shipped off to the Agricultural Corps already."

He looked up at his friend, unsurprisingly Tyra's stare hadn't relented. She leaned towards him and spoke in an intense whisper, "I can't believe you are giving up Sascha. After all that we have been through, after all we have done…I thought I knew you! The Sascha that I thought I knew would have to be dragged kicking and screaming by a squad of Jedi Masters to be removed from the Temple."

"Two years ago that was certainly true, a year ago it was probably true, but now…all my friends have been chosen to become Padawans. You, Trigg, Doro were the first group and now it's been months since Sarn and Eida have been selected to become Padawans…I'm the only one left Tyra, and now it's time to take an honest look at things." Sascha looked up and for the first time met Tyra's fierce stare, "I was always a marginal case. I don't have the best control of the Force or the deepest connection with it either. Sure, I'm a talented pilot and a good researcher, but I'm hardly exceptional." He shrugged slightly, "I'm an average at best Initiate, Tyra. I don't think I should be surprised that I've haven't been selected." He looked up into one of the nearby waterfalls, admiring its simple, natural, beauty, "I'm not giving up on my dream Tyra, I'm giving in to reality."

There was a long silence between the two friends. He could hardly bear to meet Tyra's gaze again. He knew deep down that Tyra would likely react like this; she had always been a true Dragon – members of the Dragon clan, one of the many different clans that Jedi Initiates could be placed into after they reached a certain level of maturity, were selected for their perceived tenacity. It was said that nothing could make a member of Dragon clan back down if you did not will it and certainly Tyra had never met a challenge she was cowed by. Well, he was also a member of Dragon clan, but he had finally found a challenge that he could not meet and in his eyes, he was accepting his defeat with grace.

Tyra then reached out, placed both of her hands on his shoulders, and spoke, "I'm only ever going to do this once, so I'm going to make sure you pay attention." Tyra then slapped Sascha hard on his cheek. Stunned, he felt his eyes water. Sure, he'd been hit by Tyra before, but it was always during lightsaber sparring or unarmed combat training. This…this was new.

Still with both hands on his shoulders Tyra spoke in a whisper that barely contained her intensity, "You are so perceptive about other people and their problems, but you are completely ignorant about yourself. You are the most selfless person I've ever met, and sure selflessness is a Jedi trait, but you are so selfless you ignore _your_ needs, _your_ desires." Tyra was now emphasizing her words by poking a finger directly into his chest. "You've spent the last two years helping others, volunteering in the Archives, and helping out whoever needs you, but how many times have you asked for extra training to improve yourself or done something to attract the attention of a Master? Do you want to know why you haven't been chosen as a Padawan? You haven't _tried_ to be one."

"I've tried! You of all people should remember how I've tried," he said defensively. 

"Yes, you competed in one apprentice tournament," snorted Tyra derisively. 

"And I embarrassed myself completely if I recall correctly."

Tyra stared at him incredulously, "And you're the only Jedi Initiate in the history of the Jedi Order that embarrassed themselves in the tournament? That's the reason you've stopped trying to follow your dream? That was years ago! I thought you'd moved past that."

Sascha shifted uncomfortably, "I thought that my failure it might be a sign from the Force that I wasn't going to become a Padawan."

Tyra's eyes flashed with anger, he couldn't remember the last time he had seen Tyra angry, "Since when are you a Jedi Master, Sascha? You're now able to interpret the desires of the Force?" His cheeks reddened in embarrassment, "Maybe I overstated myself slightly." He regained his composure quickly, "The point is Tyra, I've been available to be chosen by a Jedi Knight or Master to be their Padawan for years now and no one has shown the slightest interest in doing so. I'm just taking their not-so-subtle hint. It might be time for me to walk a different path."

Tyra took a moment to contemplate that remark taking a deep, calming breath before continuing, "I know it was hard for you to stay behind here at the Temple while Doro, Trigg and I went off to become Padawans, considering we are your closest friends. I think we all assumed that you'd get over it; I don't think any of us thought you'd stop trying to reach your dream…that never seemed like something you'd do. But to tell me now that you are thinking of leaving without making an effort to be selected… it's not you Sascha."

"Why not Tyra?" He spoke with quiet force, "I could leave the Temple, and I'd have a thousand job offers waiting for me. I could be a pilot, I could join the Judicials, or Republic Intelligence. I could see my parents! I could lead a good life, a normal life. Are you going to tell me that I am wrong?"

"Yes." Tyra replied with pure conviction, "It's wrong not because that's not a good life or an acceptable choice to make, but because you stopped believing in yourself." Tyra finally removed her hands from his shoulders and looked away into a nearby pool. "I realize that I can't stop you, and that we've drifted apart a bit over the past two years, but if you have any respect for me and my opinion, you'll give yourself a last chance to be selected. There is an apprentice tournament coming up soon isn't there?"

"Yes, a couple weeks from now. I helped prepare the profiles of some of the competitors for Master Xan."

Tyra's face scrunched in incredulity, "But you never thought of competing in it yourself? You're still an Initiate aren't you?"

Sascha's cheeks burned in embarrassment, "I just don't want to embarrass myself again. I don't want to embarrass the instructors that have taught me."

"Who cares?!" Tyra almost shouted. "Does it matter if you humiliate yourself once or twenty times? Do you think the instructors have never had an Initiate they've been disappointed by? Sascha, you care, way, way too much about what other people think. Care about yourself for once."

Ultimatum delivered, Tyra got and walked away. Stunned into silence, all he could do was stare at her retreating form.

Well, that didn't go entirely as expected….


	2. Spar for the Course

That night after he contemplated his conversation with Tyra, Sascha accepted that he couldn't walk away from the Jedi Order without at least having one last try at being selected by a Jedi Knight or Master to be their apprentice. The first thing he had to do was to ask for permission to enter the upcoming apprentice tournament from the organizer, Jedi Master Ilena Xan. The lead instructor of unarmed combat at the Jedi Temple, 'Iron Hand' as she was colloquially known amongst the students, was a terrifying presence to say the least. It took him almost a full day to work up the courage to ask to be entered into the apprentice tournament, but Master Xan accepted the request so easily that he had to wonder why he had made such a big deal out of it. The worst she could have said was no, right?

For the next few weeks, Sascha called in every favour that he had ever accrued in his years at the Temple, asking for advice or sparring partners or anything that would help his chances in the tournament. He pushed himself in training more than he ever had, and often he ended up so exhausted at the end of his training sessions that all he could do was stagger back to his room and fall asleep. Then he'd do it all over again the next day.

What surprised him the most was that after months of slacking on his training, he was actually better than he remembered. His connection with the Force was clearer, he fought better, with more stamina and even his notoriously spotty control of telekinesis had improved. In some ways he thought it might be a gift from the Force, or perhaps it was just the clarity of mind and thought that had allowed him to improve.

A few days before the tournament began he was doing some late night training with a remote, hoping to further hone his blaster bolt deflection skills. The remote was a small gray sphere, powered by repulsorlifts and covered with maneuvering thrusters, laser emitters, and sensors. Sascha set the remote for 5 minutes in a difficult pattern, one that he had yet to get through without being stung by one of the remote's laser emitters. After a silent countdown, the remote started into its pattern, moving randomly and firing weakened lasers from its various emitters. Whipping his turquoise coloured blade at a furious pace, he was intensely focused on deflecting the incoming bolts and he lost himself as he committed himself to the Force. Some Jedi could have blocked every incoming bolt blindfolded, but he wasn't quite ready for that level of difficulty, he needed all of his senses to keep up with the rapid-fire bolts coming from the emitter.

He cursed at himself when a stray bolt landed on his left thigh giving him a mildly unpleasant shock, but that was the only bolt that hit him over the five-minute session. Alone in the beige-walled training room, he nodded to himself. While he was disappointed at having his defences beaten by the remote, he seemed to be making progress, because a week ago when he went against the remote he would have ended up with far more burns…

He walked to a corner of a room and picked up the small datapad that he had left to record five-minute session, and tried to deduce what mistakes he had made. It was probably something to do with his footwork, he thought to himself. His instructors had always been imploring him to improve his footwork, and now, finally, he was beginning to see how that was holding him back from further development. He could almost hear Master Drallig pontificating about 'balance' and 'short, quick steps.' Although he tried to be a good student, sometimes he fell short…

Sascha was so lost in his thoughts that he barely registered that another person was entering the training room.

"Hello," said the stranger.

"Um… Hi," were the only words that he could manage stammer out, such was his surprise. Recovering his composure slightly he continued, "Did you need the training room? I can leave." 

"No, Padawan that's quite alright, I was actually looking for an occupied room."

"Sorry Master, I'm not a Padawan, merely an Initiate, Sascha Whitestar at your service, Master."

The stranger frowned, "Aren't you a little old to be an Initiate?" she asked. 

He shrugged, and took a better look at the stranger, she was roughly his height, olive skin and brilliantly blue eyes along with a series of interlocking black diamonds tattooed on her chin. She wore a black robe with intricate markings on them that he could not place, all in all it was a very striking set of attributes. Finally, all of the pieces clicked into place in his mind and he blurted out, "You're Luminara Unduli!"

Luminara flashed him a tiny, sheepish grin, "I didn't know that I was famous enough that Initiates would know me on sight."

He shook his head, "I'm not sure you're that famous…yet. I remember you because I helped you when you were on a mission to Vorrnti. You sent a request to the Temple asking if someone could help you track a person of interest for you in Vorrnti city, which I was able to do for you."

Luminara frowned, "I asked Master Jocasta Nu for that information." 

"And she relayed that request to me," continued Sascha. "As head librarian Madame Jocasta can't handle all the inquiries from every Jedi on a mission; she assigns some, um, less critical requests to helpers like myself. I hope the information that I provided was useful."

The Miralian nodded in approval, "It did eventually lead me to the cause of my problem on Vorrnti, I suppose I owe you my thanks."

He bowed politely, "The pleasure was mine Master Unduli."

"If I could ask for a favour then, I've just returned from a rather long mission, and I was hoping to get some sparring in so I could shake some rust off, but my choice of sparring partners appears rather limited this late at night, so I was wondering if you would like to fill in?"

"I'd consider it an honor and a privilege, Master Luminara." It was, in fact almost certainly an honor. Most Initiates like him would spar with fellow Initiates or perhaps a younger Padawan, but it was almost unheard of for a Jedi Knight to spar with an Initiate, for the simple reason that the Jedi Knight was often too skilled and experienced for any lessons to be learned by either combatant. This probably went double for a Jedi Knight like Luminara Unduli who was likely to achieve the rank of Jedi Master sooner rather than later, and if Temple gossip could be believed, had the chance at one day sitting on the High Council. He supposed that the worst thing that could happen was that Luminara absolutely embarrassed him in this impromptu sparring session. He tried his best to push that dark thought aside.

The olive-skinned Miralian bowed politely, "You are preparing for the apprentice tournament are you not?" He nodded in the affirmative, "Then how about we approximate the rules of the tournament, the first to three burns inflicted is the victor." 

Sascha produced a lopsided smile, "I think we know who is going to win, Master Luminara." 

A small smile appeared on Luminara's grey lips, "and who would that be Initiate?"

"Why me, of course," he said sarcastically. 

Luminara grabbed two training lightsabers from a nearby rack, checked the power settings on both, making sure that they were set to burn rather than full power, and then tossed one to him.

"I have one request, Master Luminara," he said. The Miralian raised her eyebrows in a questioning glance, "I would request that you not hold back just because I'm an Initiate."

"Only if you promise not to hold back as well, Initiate Whitestar," the Miralian replied and Sascha found himself grinning despite himself, hoping that he would not come to regret his audacity in the coming minutes.

The pair moved to the centre of the room and ignited their training lightsabers, Luminara's blade was a pulsating green, his own a cool blue. Sascha adopted a basic 'Jedi Ready' stance, his right foot behind his left, holding his lightsaber in a two handed grip with the blue blade pointed upward. In response, Luminara did a neat flourish with her blade before entering a traditional Soresu opening stance, her right foot back, holding her blade back in a one-handed grip with her right hand angled towards Sascha with her left arm held parallel to her body.

Sascha figured that trying to wait out a Jedi Knight whose preferred form of lightsaber combat was Soresu, the most defensive of the typical forms of lightsaber combat, was probably pointless, so he launched into a series of quick attacks, trying to take the measure of his Miralian opponent. The Miralian Jedi Knight parried his attacks with an easy grace and her counterstrike – a vicious cross body thrust, almost connected to his midsection before he was able to knock it away, with a hurried parry. Sascha took a step back and almost despaired – how could he even put up a reasonable fight against such a skilled opponent? However, a more reasonable part of his brain responded – telling him to enjoy what may be his only chance to spar against a Jedi Knight and worry about the results later.

His mind made up, he poked and prodded at Luminara's defences, attacking but being careful not to open himself up to a decisive counterattack. The Miralian Jedi Knight was seemingly untroubled by his advances, and his attack faltered. At that point, Luminara apparently got bored of her defensive stance and began a series of offensive thrusts that forced him into a number of last second parries and acrobatic moves to stay out of the way of his opponent's green blade. What surprised him early on in this sparring session was not just the speed of Luminara's blade, he had half expected the Jedi Knight to be blindingly fast and she was, but the power that each strike had behind it. While seemingly slight, the Miralian had a degree of strength that he had not anticipated, given her size. Unconsciously, a quote from Master Yoda rose to the forefront of his mind, "Size matters not," the wizened Jedi Grand Master had once said, and Sascha was beginning to see how true that was.

Pressed backwards by Luminara, he continued his defence not based on any technique that he had learned, but on pure desperation and tenacity. He parried a high strike and then saw a potential opening, if he moved quickly, a quick reverse thrust could land on Luminara, or at the very least, put her back on the defensive. Had the Jedi Knight made a critical error?

Of course not. While he was moving to make his reverse stab, he finally saw, far too late, that Luminara was preparing a hard thrust kick that he was left completely flat footed to avoid. Seeing no other choice he aborted his attack and accepted the kick landing hard on his hip and used the momentum from the blow to roll himself ungainly out of the way of Luminara's intended finishing strike. He barely had time to rise to his feet before Luminara came leaping at him with a powerful strike that he blocked, but the force of the blow almost sent his lightsaber flying from his hand.

From there, he and Luminara fell into what a non-Jedi might think of as a carefully choreographed routine. And to a certain way of thinking, it was. With Jedi being able to see briefly into the future, when skilled opponents sparred they were often working in parrying not the strike that was currently being thrown, but the move that would take place seconds from now. It was not unlike the way a skilled Dejarik player was thinking many moves ahead of his current move. For Sascha Whitestar it was thrilling to experience. He could not have said how long the pattern of blows landed, as far as he could tell it might have been thirty seconds, or it may have been half an hour.

Suddenly, he felt the pattern ending, and tried to pay attention to Luminara's next move, but even paying close attention he was taken by surprise when Luminara took a step back and tried to use a Force push on him. At the Jedi Temple, Initiates were taught how to counter telekinesis even before they were allowed to handle the training lightsabers, and Sascha with his moderate-at-best skill with telekinesis usually had no trouble in counter his more skilled counterparts.

He prepared to disrupt Luminara's push, but was overwhelmed at how strong the Jedi Knight's control of the Force was. He was only able to partially block the might of the Miralian's push, which spun him sideways and completely disrupted his balance, thus he was forced into a frantic, and immediately losing defensive position. Desperately, he dodged on to one knee but Luminara overwhelmed the last of his defences, scoring with a blow that had it been a real lightsaber would have taken his right leg off at the knee, instead it just gave him an annoying and painful burn from Luminara's training lightsaber. A light burn it may have been, but it still stung – a physical reminder of how his defences had been beaten.

"Well fought, Initiate Whitestar," commented the Miralian.

"But not well enough, obviously," countered Sascha, rubbing the spot when Luminara's green blade had made contact with his leg, the burn that it left behind was painful, but not debilitating. The more tired you got though, the more draining the burn became.

"Well enough to give me a workout," countered the Mirlian with an easy smile on her gray lips, "And that is the point of this sparring session is it not?"

The two Jedi reset to the center of the room, and when the sparring resumed it was again dominated by the Miralian Jedi Knight. Attacking with a measured approach, she would often leave him the choice of defending her green blade or a kick to his legs or midsection, and inevitably, he was being worn down by her relentless pressure. Even when he attempted to counterattack he made little headway, often finding that his attacks would be stymied by a single well-placed parry from Luminara.

The second burn of this impromptu match came from a quite brilliant attack that he may have been able to prevent at full strength. But with muscles aching and his reactions not at full speed, Luminara's green blade flashed across his left wrist in what would have been a textbook cho mai mark of contact that would have detached his right hand from his wrist.

"Good work again, Initiate," remarked Luminara, "I hope you are learning some lessons you can apply to your tournament."

"I certainly am, Master Luminara," he replied, rubbing his wrist to try to relive some of the pain. The first and most obvious thing he was learning was that using strikes was a very useful tactic even in a lightsaber duel. While every Jedi Initiate was taught unarmed combat, he had always thought that lightsaber combat and unarmed combat were significantly different. Now he was learning, painfully, that they could be combined to great effect.

As they reset again to the middle of the room, Sascha knew that he could not hope to last very long against the Jedi Knight. While Luminara did appear to be somewhat tired, he was basically exhausted. He was being battered by Luminara's physicality, his shoulders hurt from blocking Luminara's powerful blade, his leg and wrist hurt from where he had been burned, but most importantly, he was just plain tired. A tired Jedi was a slow Jedi and a slow Jedi did not last long in combat, especially against an opponent as skilled as Luminara Unduli.

Fortunately, Sascha had developed a wide variety of tricks over his years of sparring with superior duelists, like his close friends Tyra, Doro and Trigg. He had realized as a young Jedi that that he was generally outmatched by their skills in the sparring arena, so he had kept the playing field reletively level by using a variety of tricks to keep them off balance. The use of tricks annoyed his teachers, who would inevitably insist that solid technique could overcome any trickery, yet when any of his tricks worked, his teachers would become annoyed. It had been a source of amusement for him to see how much he could annoy his teachers with his increasingly elaborate tricks. Well, he decided, it was time to see what those tricks were worth…

As the Jedi began again, he wasted no time in trying to find an opening to use one of his favourite tricks. Sascha caught a strike at about head height and the blades became entangled as Luminara looked to press her strength advantage over a tiring Initiate. Quickly, Sascha deactivated his lightsaber and leapt away from Luminara's blade as it narrowly missed connecting with his right shoulder. Then, he reignited his lightsaber, throwing it quickly towards the Miralian while she was momentarily off balance. Though Luminara reacted faster than he thought possible in positioning against his disengaged blade, in one of the most satisfying moments of his life he heard the sound of his lightsaber making contact with Luminara's leg, just below the knee, and the surprised shout of the Jedi Knight as she reacted to the burn that his blade created.

He was so elated at what was probably going to be the peak of his career as a member of the Jedi Order that he was half convinced that he should bow to Luminara, and then walk immediately out of the Temple and resign from the Jedi Order. "That…was…surprising, Initiate Whitestar," spoke the clearly still stunned Jedi Knight.

The Initiate offered a half-bow as he walked over to where his training lightsaber had fallen and picked it back up, "Apologies for the trickery Master Luminara, but when you can't succeed in a normal engagement, make it an abnormal engagement."

"Wise words," mused Luminara still smarting, if not physically but mentally by losing a point to a mere Initiate. "Now the Tràkata, was not that surprising, as I thought you may try something different, but to pair it with a saber throw…I'm not sure I've seen that ever before." 

"It's a completely desperate move, in fairness…" 

"Yes, but your situation was desperate," Luminara shook her head ruefully, "You should be proud though, to score a point against a Jedi Knight at your age is an achievement." 

Sascha bowed respectfully and said, "I will always remember this moment, Master Luminara."

"I bet you will," muttered Luminara Unduli under her breath.

The Jedi retuned to the middle of the room and resumed their session. Sascha's boost in confidence along with Luminara's newfound wariness for his potential to spring a surprise allowed him to last a respectable amount of time against the Jedi Knight. Eventually, Luminara's skill won out. Again forced into a last ditch defence, the session was abruptly ended when he blocked a powerful overhead strike from Luminara that sent a shock through his body, which was just enough to disrupt his concentration – and his defences, for a split second. Like any good duelist, Luminara's follow-up was already in motion, a swift kick that landed in his midsection, doubling him over and sending his lightsaber skittering away from him. "I think we can count that as the final point," remarked Luminara, mercifully. 

He nodded weakly and rolled over onto his back, not trusting in his ability to speak so soon after Luminara's boot had been firmly planted in his stomach.

Luminara proffered a hand to the fallen Initiate, "One…minute…I like…the view…from down here," he gasped between wheezing breaths. 

Luminara let out a brief laugh and said, "I was a bit hard on you, but you did ask for me not to hold back." 

"I have some regrets about that right now." 

"No, you should be proud, Sascha, it was a spirited effort." 

"I am proud," he admitted, "but right now I am also in pain." At last feeling as if he wasn't going to throw up on the Miralian's boots if he stood, he accepted the offered hand and pulled himself to his feet.

The two Jedi returned their training lightsabers to the rack and left the training room. He was unsure of what would happen next, he'd never sparred with a Jedi Knight before. Did she want to talk about it? Give him some pointers, maybe? Sascha felt a surge of adrenaline with his next thought – maybe she will take me as her Padawan! Certainly, he must have impressed her. However, he buried his lofty thoughts behind a more pressing concern; his body was badly in need of rest and healing meditation. "Master Luminara," Sascha started, bowing deeply, "It was an honor and a pleasure, but I think I need to go and recover." 

Luminara smiled magnanimously, "Of course, Initiate Whitestar, thank you for your time tonight and for giving me a small lesson in humility."

The two Jedi parted ways, Sascha grinned to himself, things were looking up lately, it really was amazing what could happen when you committed yourself fully to something…


	3. Past, Present, Future

The next morning Sascha Whitestar was in his room thinking to himself about the many perks of being a Jedi. One of the most obvious perks was owning a lightsaber, which was hands down the coolest and most feared weapon in the galaxy. Plus there was the ability to lift rocks just by thinking about it, which was a quality party trick if there ever was one. Yet there was one ability that he was not sure how the rest of the galaxy survived without, which was the ability to heal oneself through the Force. Curato Salva was the generic name for any of the myriad ways for a Jedi to heal himself, either by asking the body to improve its rate of healing or a skill Sascha was particularly fond of and skilled at, the ability to reduce the mind's perception of pain.

Grimacing, he put that particular skill to use on this fine morning, and after he completed the technique, it was as if his aching muscles belonged to someone else, but not Sascha Whitestar. Still, he forced himself to go through a lengthy set of stretches, in an attempt to mitigate some of the leftover aches and pains from last night's sparring, as well as preparing himself for the day ahead. He had been doing his morning stretches for as long as he could remember, to him it was essentially just a form of moving meditation.

No longer able to ignore his rumbling stomach, he exited his room and made his way towards the Initiates cafeteria - the Padawans, Knights and Masters of the Jedi Order had the choice of eating in one of the many different refectories that dotted the Temple, which were off limits to mere Initiates such as himself. Yet, years ago, that had not stopped his friends Doro and Trigg, a pair of Corelians that may as well have been brothers, from trying to sneak a look into one of the refectories. It had not gone well for them.

In his mind, he could still hear the blistering tongue lashing that the imposing Duros Jedi Master Lyron had given his friends. Sascha smiled at the memory, born troublemakers those two were, it was amazing to think that after some of the hijinks that Doro and Trigg had pulled as younglings that they were off somewhere in the galaxy representing the Jedi Order as Padawans. He also knew that while the Jedi had a reputation for being stoic and emotionally detached, anyone who set foot inside the Temple quickly understood that the Jedi were a vibrant and diverse group.

Inside the Initiates cafeteria, he walked over to the counter, grabbed something that looked edible and checked that it was – the cafeteria had a coloured system to indicate if a certain dish was edible for a particular species, though that didn't always lead to a pleasant dining experience either. As he walked towards the trestle tables that lined the room, he saw that the cafeteria was mostly empty, and with the younger Initiates already ensconced in their morning classes, it was mostly just some older Initiates around.

Grabbing a seat at an unoccupied table, he listened with one ear to the gossip of the other Initiates as he ate his breakfast. Right now, the Initiates were talking about the upcoming apprentice tournament, discussing who the favourites were, and which Initiates were 'sure things' to become Padawans. The odds on favourite, according to most of the Initiates, seemed to be Nara Nalto, a young Togruta who was drawing comparisons to another Togruta Jedi, the Jedi Master Shaak Ti. He quietly snorted to himself. He had prepared the file on Nara Nalto for the apprentice tournament, and while the praise from her teachers was effusive, mostly praising her control and connection with the Force, words like 'arrogant' and 'selfish' often found their way into their reports on her as well. It was one thing to be strong in the Force, it was quite another to be a Jedi Knight.

Sascha wondered what his file said. He shrugged to himself, figuring that there was no point in trying to deduce something he would never know.

Idly, he frivolously picked at…whatever this was supposed to be. The soupy brown liquid certainly tasted fine, but there was certainly a downside to having kitchen duty being rotated between all the Jedi in the Temple. Sometimes you got a cook that knew what he or she was doing, and sometimes you got food that was edible, but hardly inspiring. This was clearly one of the latter. He was contemplating whether he wanted to finish his breakfast or take his chances when lunch was served when he felt a mild wave of surprise in the Force from his fellow Initiates.

Sascha looked up from his meal to see Luminara Unduli striding through the entryway. That indeed was a rare sight in the Initiates cafeteria. Masters and Knights weren't exactly banned from entering the Initiate's cafeteria, and certainly some of the Masters that taught the younglings of the Jedi Order commonly took their meals in the Initiates cafeteria, but outside of that select group, the cafeteria was one of the few places in the Temple that was specifically for Initiates. Most of the time when a Knight came into the cafeteria the news was either really good – like being chosen to be a Padawan, or really bad – like you failed that test on the Stark Hyperspace War and you were being sent for a remedial session.

Striding purposefully towards where he was sitting, the olive-skinned Miralian had a dignified air to her, and many of the Initiates openly stared at the Jedi Knight. Suspecting that she wanted to talk to him, and knowing that he didn't particularly want to have a conversation with Luminara in front of his fellow Initiates, he collected his bowl and dumped what was left of his meal into one of the nearby trash compactors before Luminara reached him, "Initiate Whitestar, a word?" she said.

"Of course, Master Luminara, I was just finishing up."

Sascha could feel the unsubtle stares of his fellow Initiates on the back of his neck, he could almost hear their questions in his mind, 'Is he getting selected as a Padawan, or are they finally sending him to the Agricultural corps?'

Luminara and Sascha left the room without another word being exchanged between them. When outside, the Jedi Knight smiled ruefully, "I haven't been in the Initiates cafeteria in many years…funny it seemed bigger when I was younger."

He wasn't quite sure how to respond to that remark, so he kept silent. Luminara seemed not to register his confused silence and began walking down the high-ceilinged halls of the Jedi Temple. "I've been doing some research on you, Sascha Whitestar," remarked Luminara as she walked.

He cracked a marginal smile, "A boring topic to research, I'm afraid, Master Luminara. I think the Complete History of Corvis Minor would have been a more exhilarating read."

Luminara waved away his attempt at levity, "No need to be modest, Sascha. You have a surprising set of skills for an Initiate that has reached your age without being chosen to become a Padawan. Master Jocasta Nu speaks highly of you; she says you have good instincts for researching even the most difficult topics, and that you are a hard worker in the library."

"That's very kind of Master Jocasta to say," he said respectfully, but he thought to himself that if the Chief Librarian valued him so highly, she would have taken him on as a Padawan. While some Initiates may have thought that being apprenticed to the Chief Librarian of the Jedi Order would be boring, Sascha would have accepted the offer in a heartbeat. The archives were probably his favourite place in the Jedi Temple, there was just so much information within those walls, and he just wanted to read it all, to learn everything he could.

Luminara smirked slightly as if she might have been able to read his thoughts on the matter, "Your file also notes that you are an exceptional pilot for someone of your age and rank."

Sascha felt himself frowning, "I'm not sure if I'd say exceptional, but certainly I'm a very good pilot, even for a Jedi." All Jedi almost by definition were good pilots, but he had always excelled when given the chance to show his piloting skills, only in simulators to this point, but he hoped to be in a position to pilot a 'real' craft soon.

"Ah, finally a compliment you can't ignore," said Luminara, her tone wry, "You are a strange, confusing, but talented Initiate, Sascha." She gave a heartfelt sigh, "had circumstances been slightly different, I could see a future where I selected you as my Padawan, but…"

"…You're constrained by Miralian traditions, I know." He looked up apologetically at Luminara, "I looked it up last night, Miralian Jedi are only trained by other Miralians, and with Initiate Offee needing a Master, albeit in a few years, you aren't really in a position to choose anyone as a Padawan, she has basically been chosen for you."

"Succinctly put, Initiate. I can't be your Master, but I firmly believe that you should not be able to walk away from this Temple like you are planning to." Luminara started walking again at a brisk pace, forcing Sascha to stride quickly to follow, however he still couldn't figure out exactly where she was heading, the Temple was such a big place after all.

"I wouldn't say I'm planning to walk away, I would just say that I'm setting a deadline for me to be chosen by a Knight or Master to be their Padawan, and considering my um, advanced age, I think it's certainly a fair deadline to make."

Luminara raised a cultured eyebrow, "Must you contradict me on everything, Sascha? I'm starting to believe that the reports from your teachers calling you a polite and deferential Initiate were talking about someone else."

"Apologies, Master." Stupid, stupid, stupid, he thought to himself. A Jedi Knight is taking interest in helping you at this critical time and here you are contradicting and annoying her. The silence stretched for a long moment between the pair. Sascha sighed internally, wondering if he had already ruined his chance to receive help from the respected Jedi Knight.

"This isn't the first tournament you've entered, yes?" asked Luminara, mercifully breaking the silence between the pair.

"I competed in one a couple of years back, Master Unduli," he responded. 

"Was there a reason that you've waited two years to compete in your next one? You know that the apprentice tournament is a great way to attract the attention of potential Masters – it's designed for it in fact."

"Yes, Master, but after my first attempt at the apprentice tournament, I was not very eager to try again." The olive-skinned Miralian frowned, "Remember Sascha, the tournament isn't so much about winning or losing, but about showing your skills to the audience and showing a potential Master how you could fit in as their apprentice."

"Losing I could have handled, Master. The way I lost…" His thoughts drifted back to that fateful day, a day he saw only in his nightmares.

Luminara gave him a concerned look but made no comment. He started again, "I should explain, Master, perhaps then you will understand." This was not going to be a fun story to tell.

Sascha began his story, striving for a neutral tone and not exactly succeeding, "My friends and I thought we had it all planned out. We would enter the apprentice tournament together, we would all be thirteen, a normal age for being chosen as a Padawan, though certainly my friends could have entered and done well in the tournament at an earlier age. At thirteen though, us four would be amongst the best competitors, certain to put in a good performance and almost certain to be selected to become a Padawan by a Master or Knight. We would become Padawans together and though becoming Padawans meant that we would have to go our separate ways, the idea was that we could at least do this last step together."

"There was lots of interest in our little group before the tournament began, mostly there was interest in Doro, Triggs and Tyra, but my…unique set of skills drew some attention as well. The tournament itself was probably not even that important for me, really. I'm sure all the Masters knew that my value in being an apprentice would not necessarily come from my martial prowess. So, I knew that all I really had to do was show up, put in a reasonably good performance, show I was at least capable of handling a lightsaber and that probably would have led me to becoming a Padawan."

Sascha paused, steeling himself; Luminara gazed intently, obviously trying to figure out what had gone so wrong that it had left an indelible scar on the Initiate. "My friends Tyra, Doro and Triggs all won their first round matches – I was the last to compete out of our little group. I was paired against Tye Katsure, who was someone I knew I could beat and had beaten whenever we had sparred previously. I lost the first point of the match…I made a dumb mistake, a stupid, completely overconfident move, just totally unlike me; I mean Tye wasn't the greatest duelist ever, but he knew how to take advantage of a mistake," Sascha balled his fists at his sides in frustration, remembering that moment.

He stared at the floor, embarrassed, "It shouldn't have been a big deal; it was just one point in a best of five match against an opponent I was better than. But, I don't think I'd ever been more upset at myself. I had the future so mapped out in my mind, that having this one thing go wrong just completely shattered me. I lost my composure, my confidence…" He shook his head, "…I fought on, of course, but I was so out of balance, I could barely control myself, I must have looked like a drunken Hutt out there. I lost quickly and easily to an opponent I was capable of beating. It was almost the worst performance possible. The tournament is about demonstrating control, control over your lightsaber, but also control over yourself and your emotions, and that day I proved that without a shadow of a doubt; I did not have sufficient control to become a Padawan."

The Miralian Jedi Knight regarded the young human Initiate with compassion, but did not speak, Sascha didn't know if she was waiting for him to continue with the story or if she was at a loss for words. He figured that he might as well continue with the story, "Afterward, I locked myself in my room for what felt like a week, I honestly could not tell you how much time passed. I just wanted to be alone with my failure. The next time I saw my friends, they all had their Padawan braids, they were so happy in achieving their goal, but the look they gave me," his voice faltered, and he felt tears coming unbidden to his eyes. He continued again, voice heavy with emotion, "I failed them…we should have been celebrating together. I failed myself, and my friends...I don't know if I ever felt worse, if I could ever feel worse. I wanted to leave the Temple immediately after that tournament, but my friends convinced me to stay, they convinced me that I had a future as a Jedi. I didn't really believe that I did, I'm not even exactly sure that I have one now, but I owed my friends, so I stayed."

He tried to adopt a conversational tone, but failed still being far too emotional, and ignored the Jedi that were passing by him, giving him odd looks, "So I spent the last two years helping my fellow Jedi where I could, by teaching and by assisting in the archives. I assumed one day that someone would show up to tell me that I had been assigned to the Agricultural corps, or that I had to pack my things and leave, but that day never came. So I just kept helping out, I figured that maybe even if I wasn't going to be a Jedi Knight, I could at least help while I'm here. And that's pretty much the whole story. I'm taking one last shot at becoming a Padawan. And yes, if I fail I'm prepared to walk away from the Jedi, it would only cost me all of my best friends and the only thing I've ever wanted to be."

He wiped away tears with the sleeve of his robe, and found some conviction from somewhere deep inside of him, "So yes, this is hard for me, it's hard for me to face up to my biggest failure, the event that haunts my nightmares. But I'm going to do it, because I'm from clan Dragon, and we don't back down from challenges. I'm going to do it because my friends beyond all semblance of rationality believe in me, and because I can't leave here without being able to honestly tell myself that I gave it everything, all of me, everything I have. If I can do that, it doesn't matter if I'm chosen or not…I've done what I set out to do."

Sascha had no idea how Luminara was going to react to his story, but he was pretty sure this wasn't exactly what she expected to happen in this conversation. "I…am not sure where to begin, Sascha. Am I correct in thinking that I am the first person you've talked about this with?"

"Yes, Master, it is…not a subject I enjoy speaking about," he admitted.

Luminara shook her head, "I empathise with you, failure is never easy to accept, and it can be a traumatic experience. We all have our personal failures that we must overcome." Luminara stopped and looked at him, and it seemed as if the Jedi Knight was staring right through him. "I believe that while you didn't handle this difficult situation optimally – you really should have talked to an older Jedi about your situation, this experience has made you stronger, more humble." Luminara placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and said, "I believe, now more than ever, that you should be given a chance to be a Padawan."

"I have my chance Master Unduli, now I'm trying to make the best of it." The Miralian gave a short, approving nod, like that was the answer she was looking for.

"Follow me than, Sascha."


	4. Meditation

Sascha would have asked the Miralian Jedi Knight where they were walking to, but he was far too busy trying to put a lid on his emotions to care about such trivialities. He generally did not have trouble controlling his feelings, partially due to his Jedi training, but when his emotions did overcome his mental barriers, he found it very difficult to find his sense of calm again.

Luminara turned and pulled into one of the nearby meditation rooms, and he dutifully followed behind her. Meditation rooms were sparsely lit and furnished, they were rooms that were meant to block out any outside influences to make it easier for one to achieve a meditative state. This particular room had only a thin maroon carpet for 'comfort' and a set of blinds that allowed a little light from the outside hallway to come in. The Miralian sat comfortably on the thin carpet and looked up at him, "I think that it might be helpful if we meditate, Sascha." Unsure of what exactly that would accomplish, but too emotionally drained to disagree, he sat across from the Miralian, adopted a comfortable sitting position, and began preparations to meditate.

In a perfectly normal situation, he would not have had a problem dropping into a deep meditation. Unlike some of his fellow Initiates, he had always enjoyed the simple pleasures of meditation. Often times he had used meditation to help him overcome problems in his schoolwork or to bleed away the stresses that Temple life could give an Initiate. However, what meditation required more than anything was calm, calmness of environment, but most importantly calmness of the mind. That was something that he currently lacked.

Control over your emotions was the first and inarguably most important lesson of the Jedi Order, and it was one of the first skills Sascha could remember learning from his teachers. Because Jedi were sensitive to the feelings of other Force-sensitives around them, like other Jedi, negative emotions being broadcast by one Jedi, could easily affect another Jedi, which in turn could affect another Jedi, creating a very undesirable situation where the feelings of one person affected many. Thus, early on, Jedi were taught how to control their emotions, or at the very least not broadcast them.

It was not perfect of course, certainly no matter how prematurely adult all Jedi children seemed to be, the fact was that the Jedi younglings were still just children, grappling with how to control one of the galaxy's great mysteries all the while undertaking one of the toughest school curriculums in the galaxy. During his time at the Jedi Temple there had been some…interesting incidents where one student's frustration had affected others. Still, control of one's own emotions was one of the lessons that were hammered home by the instructors at the Temple on a daily basis.

Sadly, he was quite certain that his emotions were roiling over what had once been sturdy defences. Yet Luminara seemed no more affected by him than a Bantha is affected by a gnat. Luminara's cool, powerful, and composed calm sat in stark contrast to his badly compromised emotional state. After several minutes of internal struggle he was able to achieve a very shallow sort of meditation. His emotions seemed to be a raging volcano, he could patch up a section of his psyche, but his sense of Jedi calm seemed far away. If he was hoping to have Luminara be a sort of mentor for him, this was not a very impressive display.

He subconsciously gritted his teeth, he knew that he could slowly chip away at the problems that were occupying his mind, and eventually he would find calm again. However, that would likely take several hours, and he was pretty sure the Miralian didn't want to sit and meditate with him while he wrestled with his emotions for that long. There was another option though….

"Master, may I…?" he asked softly. 

"Of course, Sascha," the Miralian answered without moving.

Reaching out in the Force, he tapped into Luminara's calm presence and began to use her calm, her strength to assist him in his inner battle. Luminara's serene tranquility rushed into him like a river, quelling doubts, and smoothing his jagged emotional edges. It didn't happen all at once of course. It was a process, but it got easier as he was able to calm himself down, little by little. Finally, after some time, he was able to achieve his desired state, what most Jedi referred to as empty meditation, a state that shed emotions and feelings, which allowed the user to center themselves in the Force. Though he could typically sustain empty meditation for a long time, his meditation fell apart quickly thereafter, and he returned to full awareness of his surroundings. When he did, he was surprised to find himself breathing hard and feeling physically tired, as well as being mentally drained.

"Quite a battle that was, Sascha," remarked Luminara, still serene in her meditative pose, looking like nothing at all had transpired, still a smooth and calm presence in the Force. He wondered if he would ever develop a sense of calm equal to the Jedi Knight's.

"Thank you for guiding me like that, Master Unduli," he said, politely bowing his head. 

Luminara frowned, "You did that on your own, Sascha. I may have been part of the power source, but you were the guide. It's not like I can enter your mind and solve your problems for you, or clear your mind of emotion – you did that." Luminara suddenly rose, "I assume it was helpful?"

Sascha gathered himself and rose on suddenly shaky legs, "Yes, of course…I mean I probably could have done that on my own, but it would have taken hours, days maybe, of deep meditation, time that I don't really have, considering the tournament is in two days and I need to be in a positive emotional state." Sascha paused significantly, "thank you for listening to me, I know now that I was wrong to hold in my emotions…I just assumed that any of the Masters wouldn't have given me advice that would be helpful to me, or they would have chided me for being immature." He hung his head, "I was so very wrong, in so many ways."

"Pain shared, is pain not doubled but halved. No Jedi is an island," quoted Luminara philosophically. "It wasn't so much that you needed to talk to someone; it's that you needed to not hold your pain within yourself. Words alone would not have helped you, Sascha. You knew what you did wrong and what steps you needed to take to correct it, no advice was needed; you simply needed to confront it yourself. By hiding from the pain for so long, you let it dominate you, and control you. Now, I suspect that although the memories from your past will remain with you, they will not have hold over you any longer. Remember, Jedi do not dwell on the past, though they may learn from their mistakes. Have you learned from your past Sascha?" inquired the olive-skinned Miralian, her bright blue eyes burning into his.

"Many times Master, and I am still learning from it." 

"Good answer," Luminara made her way to the door. "Now, I booked a training room before I went looking for you, one can only hope that it is still available to us now. Shall we proceed?"

"Right behind you, Master Unduli."

Sascha was vaguely afraid that Luminara would ask to have another sparring session, which he would probably have to decline, considering he hadn't really recovered from the previous sparring session, but Luminara already had a lesson planned out for him. Taking the recording of their sparring session from last night, Luminara pointed out many of the myriad mistakes that plagued his technique. The Miralian was a good teacher, strict but fair and when he didn't understand what she was pointing out, she had no qualms about demonstrating it herself. The sheer amount that he learned that day was almost overwhelming; of course, he had never had a Jedi Knight tutor him one on one in a subject before. Luminara lectured on footwork, the principals of combat, how to analyze an opponent and much more.

By the end of the session, he was completely exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. When the two parted ways at the end of the day, he thanked the Jedi Knight effusively.

In response, Luminara shrugged, "I could hardly have ignored you after our first chance meeting. It seems clear to me that it was the will of the Force that brought us together."

He wasn't quite sure of that, surely the Force had better things to do than to pay attention to him. "Thanks…for everything Master, no matter what the outcome will be…this was a special day for me." The Miralian gave Sascha a reassuring smile and bid him good night.

The last day before the apprentice tournament, he spent most of the day in his room, meditating. While deep in his meditation he thought intensely on his experiences at the Temple, good memories and bad, they all ran together, each of them a reminder of a different lesson, some which he had forgotten, and some he was finding new lessons in. When he came out of his meditation in late afternoon, he was pleased by the sense of serenity that surrounded him. Whatever fate or the Force had in store for him, he was unafraid to meet it.

Sascha was about to start into doing some light exercises when his door chime rang. He frowned, he wasn't expecting anyone; all of his friends from Dragon clan were away on missions and while he had other friends, he didn't think they'd be paying him a visit today. He extended his senses, felt the presence of who was outside of his room and smiled, "You may enter Master Luminara." 

The Miralian gracefully entered his small room. "Greetings, Sascha" Luminara said, "I wanted to see you before tomorrow. I've been putting your name out there to Jedi who I know are looking for Padawans,"

"That is very kind of you, Master Luminara. I won't disappoint you." 

Luminara gave him a genuine smile, "I doubt you could, Sascha. I do regret that I cannot take you as a Padawan myself. You are the first Initiate since I became a Jedi Knight that I've felt a real connection with, yet traditions must be upheld, that is the Jedi way. I have done what I could to prepare you and to make sure others are aware of you, but tomorrow it is up to you, I can offer you no help. I know you do not need it, but I don't want you to be surprised. So I ask now, is there anything more I can do to help you, Sascha?"

Sascha considered the question, gazing at the Miralian, who just a few days previous he had only known by reputation, but now was much more to him, a mentor and possibly even a friend. "I cannot think of anything else." Sascha paused, "Thank you…for everything Master."

Luiminara nodded approvingly, "Then may the Force be with you, Sascha Whitestar. I will see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Master Unduli." The Miralian bowed and withdrew. As soon as she left, Sascha went back to his stretches, feeling more confident then ever about his chances in the upcoming tournament.


	5. Apprentice Tournament

The apprentice tournament was just one part of a larger overall showcase for Initiates to display their skills for the Knights and Masters that were looking to take on a Padawan learner. Because not every Jedi was a warrior at heart, each Initiate, if he or she so chose, would have a time allotted to demonstrate a particular Force ability. A common example used by many Initiates was lifting heavy objects with the Force, or any other display that showed their control. Sascha had declined his chance to have a showcase of his own, he hadn't been exactly sure how he could make a worthy display, especially in comparison with his more talented colleagues. Plus, he figured that focusing only on the tournament might be to his benefit.

The apprentice tournament itself had thirty-two of the most senior apprentices in the Temple competing for the title of tournament champion. Each round was ended when one student scored three burns on their opponent with a lightsaber set to its lowest power setting, or when a student submitted via a call of 'Solah.' Besides those rather limited rules, anything went, from hand-to-hand combat, to using the Force to persuade your opponent to surrender, which legend had it, had happened on at least five separate occasions. Theoretically, one could use 'dirty' tactics to win a match, but the use of such tactics would be unlikely to impress any of prospective the Jedi Knights or Masters.

After the tournament ended, each of the prospective Padawans would be moved to a specifically assigned room, and a day later, where a day later, Masters and Knights could then ask questions of the Initiates in private to try to determine whether they would be a good fit as their apprentice. At the start of the following day, Knights and Masters could then formally ask any of the Initiates to become their Padawan. Those privileged enough to be offered a chance to ascend to the next rank in the Jedi Order would then spend the rest of the day and night in meditation, deciding if they would accept the offer, or in the case of some especially fortunate Initiates, deciding between multiple offers of apprenticeship.

Sascha was in no rush to start the day, he completed his morning meditations and stretching routine just like it was any other day. Though he felt within himself a discernible amount of stress, he refused to let his routine be interrupted. He even took the time to make himself look presentable – in a rare bit of youthful rebellion, he had always been somewhat slack in the maintenance of his clothes and his personal appearance in general, often letting his hair grow past the 'accepted' length. He had never been reprimanded, but he had been aware that he had been toeing the line at times. Today, considering it might be one of the last days he would spend in the Jedi Order, he was fastidious in his preparations, his dark brown hair was cut short, and his beige Jedi robe was immaculate.

Fully prepared, he exited his room, smiling at a group of very young Initiates being led from class to class by an older mentor. Before he even reached the main sparring arena, he could feel the tension being broadcast from the room in the Force. It was something that was bound to happen when inside the room there were thirty or so Jedi Initiates who knew that their performance over the next few hours might decide if they received an offer of apprenticeship. Without a doubt, stakes were high. Sascha entered the sparring arena and found he was one of the last Initiates to arrive, though he was certainly not late. Many Initiates were stretching or meditating but there were also small clusters of clearly nervous young Jedi talking amongst themselves. Sascha, who at least had the experience of participating in an apprentice tournament before, was not as nervous as some of his fellow Initiates. Normally he'd have been inclined to join those that were meditating, but having done so much meditating in the past few days, he wasn't much in the mood for it.

Standing off to the side of the room, Sascha took note of some of the apprentices in the room, he knew many of them of course and had prepared reports on several others. He took notice of Talia Moonseeker, a female Aargauun, she was quite quiet and reserved, he couldn't remember having a single conversation with her even though he'd shared several classes with her, but he knew that she was considered a good prospect to become a Jedi Knight. Sascha spotted Neth Enasteri nearby, a fellow human that was one of the few Initiates that was around his age. Neth was a tall, dark skinned, good-natured youngster, always with a quick joke or a wry remark – Neth had the sort of easy popularity amongst his fellow Initiates that he sometimes wished that he had.

Seeing Neth wandering around somewhat aimlessly, Sascha called out, "Hey Enasteri, do you feel old right now?" Neth smiled and starting walking towards him. As if on cue a young Gorum who couldn't have been more than twelve years old launched into a series of impressive flips, landing with serene, almost unnatural precision.

"I don't remember being able to do that at that age," remarked Neth quietly in his ear. 

"I don't remember ever being able to do that," he replied. 

The two shared a knowing look, "So, one last try to be a Jedi Knight?" he asked. 

Neth gave a small shrug, "Something like that, figured I'm pretty much destined for the Agricultural Corps, but no one stopped me from entering, so either the Masters forgot I existed or I still have a shot."

"You're not very easy to forget Neth." 

"That's what I figured," Neth replied with his trademark charm. Pausing, he then gave him a conspiratorial look, "you're the guy who does all the research, I bet you have a book on everyone here. So who do I need to watch out for?"

"Well I didn't do much research for this tournament, but…as you know I do know everything." While Neth rolled his eyes at that remark, he pointed out a young light-skinned human female currently engaging in some acrobatic stretches, "I know Serra Ketto is supposed to be the next great Jedi swordsman, or swordswoman I suppose. The Togruta over there is Nara Nalto; they call her the next Shaak Ti. I'd say that they would be the odds on favourites to become tournament champion. You know, besides the great Neth Enasteri and Sascha Whitestar of course!"

Sascha and Neth burst simultaneously into a peel of laughter. Neth gave him a friendly slap on the back, "Oh man, laughter has never felt so good," said Neth, "it cuts right through the tension." The dark-skinned human then gave him a serious look, "Promise me whatever happens in this tournament, we can get together and laugh about it later." 

He offered his hand to Neth, who shook it with a smile, "Deal, my friend," he said. The two humans waited in silence together, each deep in their own thoughts.

A few moments later the Jedi Masters and Knights entered; a solemn procession of humans and other assorted species in beige, grey and brown robes. Sascha remembered that in his first tournament he had made note of all the Jedi in the procession and tried to puzzle out who would be interested in him and thus who he wanted to impress. Now two years older and possessing something resembling adolescent wisdom, he only paid attention to the first two Masters in the procession. The first was Master Yoda, the wizened green Jedi Grand Master. Master Yoda probably hadn't missed an apprentice tournament in five hundred years. Sascha couldn't figure out why Yoda spent so much time with the Jedi younglings, though of course he treasured his memories with Yoda. He figured that considering he wasn't more than seven hundred years old or a Jedi Master, he'd probably never figure it out. The second being in the procession was Ilena Xan, was a silver haired human of advancing years but she was still in fighting shape, as she was more than willing to demonstrate when teaching her very much dreaded unarmed combat classes. 'Iron Hand' as she was known to the Initiates was in many ways the exact opposite of Yoda – while Yoda preferred to teach in riddles and tricks, Ilena Xan preferred more martial approaches. Jedi Initiates defied 'Iron Hand' at their own risk.

The Knights and Masters filled in, forming a loose circle around the edge of the sparring arena. There were some clumps of two or three Knights together, speaking in hushed tones. Sascha unconsciously stood of straighter, knowing the eyes of his future master could be on him right now. When everyone was in place, Master Xan made her way to the center of the room and appealed for quiet, which broke out almost immediately. 'Iron Hand' made eye contact with the Initiates that were still scattered around the room "You all know the rules I assume?" Even if some Initiate did not, it was unlikely they were going to ask the notoriously unforgiving Ilena Xan for clarification. After waiting out the silence, she continued, "Very good – here are the first round matchups." As Master Xan paused to consult her datapad a thrill of excitement could be felt throughout the room. "First up, Whitestar and Grozpirr."

Neth turned to him worriedly and he suppressed a groan. Of all the opponents to be paired with….

One of the activities he'd done immediately after entering the tournament was write down the names of any he thought would also be entering the tournament. After he'd prepared the list, he wrote down some brief ideas that he might draw upon if he faced them in the tournament. For some, like Serra Ketto he just wrote 'try hard' because he would clearly be outclassed, but for others he had useful tidbits, like for his friend Neth he wrote 'prefers to be on the offensive, dislikes unarmed combat.' For Grozpirr he had left it blank. To his recollection, he'd never had a class with Grozpirr and they had very different social circles. So much for my 'research' advantage Sascha thought to himself glumly.

Grozpirr was a Houk, a species that was best known across the galaxy for their strength, in fact they were one of the few races that is said to have similar strength to Wookiees. Though the Houk were not a particularly warlike people, they certainly preferred settling disputes with violence, and when the average Houk was more than two metres tall and well-muscled, they tended to be good at it. Many Houk made their living as gladiators on worlds that still held such contests.

Still a bit stunned, he managed to move himself into middle of the sparring arena. Staring across at his opponent, the physical contrast could not be starker. He was a below average height human, and had a slight, wiry, but athletic build. Grozpirr was slightly over 1.9 metres tall; he had deep violet skin and small ridges on top of his large skull. Physically bulky he seemed to gain extra size in his beige Jedi robes that concealed his well-muscled physique. Sascha didn't even want to begin to guess how much he was outweighed by. The Houk's blue lightsaber almost seemed like a child's toy in his massive hands.

He was still trying to formulate something even resembling a plan for dealing with his massive opponent, when 'Iron Hand' Xan asked to see the power settings on both Sascha's and Grozpirr's lightsabers. Robotically, he handed his hilt over to Master Xan, and once she was satisfied that they were set to the lowest setting she returned them to the Initiates. Feeling panic set in even before the match began, he was still desperately racking his brain for some sort of edge or technique he could use to combat the Houk. But before he could come up with one, he saw Master Xan indicating that the match was underway.

The imposing Houk advanced quickly towards him, raising his blue blade and delivering a simple down stroke. Sascha responded with a basic two-handed parry, and he got the first taste of the pure power of his opponent. Grozpirr's blue blade almost swept his parry aside, and the force of his blow sent reverberations down his entire body. This is not going to end well, he thought to himself pessimistically.

Luminara had schooled him in the basics of Soresu, a form of lightsaber combat that emphasized economy of movement and simple defensive strokes until an opponent opened a fatal weakness. He had found that the style resonated with him because it fit in with his natural defensive tendencies. Yet he wasn't sure how he was supposed to use Soresu when each parry caused his muscles to protest from overexertion.

Grozpirr drove him backwards with nothing particularly fancy, just hard power strikes, which he was forced to parry with two hands. Such was the physical strength of his opponent that he barely had the time to search for a counterattack. The part of his brain function that wasn't devoted to fighting was flashing back to his first appearance in an apprentice tournament and he wondered if he was going to go out in the first round without scoring a point…again.

The first burn of the match was a painful lesson that you didn't necessarily need to be burned by the opponent's blade to lose a point. Grozpirr had steadily pushed Sascha back since the start of the match and now with a slight bit of room between the two combatants, the Houk leapt into a punishing downward blow that he put all of his considerable weight behind. Sascha raised his quickly tiring arms to block it, but he had been too slow and he blocked it far too close to his body. The force of Grozpirr's strike pushed his own lightsaber downward and it connected with his left shoulder, giving him a painful and embarrassing burn, the first of the match.

In the moment after the searing pain in his shoulder reached his brain, he almost felt like surrendering, he was clearly outmatched and he didn't want his last memories in the Jedi Temple to be how he had been demolished by one of his fellow Initiates. He could surrender here, salvage a bit of his ego and confidence and move on to the next stage of his life.

Yet, he remembered the quiet confidence that Luminara had in him, how she had spent the entirety of yesterday teaching him. He couldn't then turn around and surrender so easily. And he couldn't do it because Tyra believed in him, his friends believed in him. No, he realized, he'd rather go out burned to a crisp by his opponent's lightsaber than surrender like a chump.

Realizing that he still needed time and space to plan a strategy, he spotted an opening and ran back towards the center of the arena, leaving a befuddled Grozpirr to wonder where his opponent was running to.

With a second to collect himself, he was able to find his balance within the Force and pushed himself deeper into the current. Instantly, he felt power and confidence flood into him. Power and confidence from the Force notwithstanding, he was still in need of a plan for dealing with his opponent. Luckily for him, one was beginning to form.

There was an old proverb from Tatooine that he had once read in the Jedi archives, and it had stuck with him over the years. It stated, 'You can be the Bantha or you can be the Suckfly.' Within that very simple quote Sascha had found a lot of wisdom. Considering the proverb in an entirely new light, the Padawan realized that it looked like the role of Bantha had already been cast, so he cast himself in the role of the Suckfly. He realized that while his opponent had strength that he could never hope to match, he was quicker and more agile – and the rules of the tournament favoured him. If it had been a real fight with full powered lightsabers, his left arm would have been disconnected from his body and the fight would have been over. As it was, if he could score three burns, even ones that would be inconsequential to a Houk, he would be the winner.

As Grozpirr confidently strode back towards him, he realized one last thing, the Houk had controlled the match so far because he had blocked everything with his lightsaber, allowing the Houk to use his strength to batter him around the sparring arena. However, if he simply didn't use his lightsaber to block the blows, the Houk's strength advantage would be almost useless. He flashed Grozpirr a feral smile, and got a terrifying toothy smile in return. With his new plan in place, he quickly set it in motion.

He had never been a particularly gifted attacker when it came to combat. Some Jedi just seemed to instinctively know when and how to attack, he was never amongst that group, instead preferring a calm and composed defence interspersed with quick, incisive counterattacks. But faced with no other option, he committed fully to his attack, leaping around with abandon, never staying in one place for more than a heartbeat, propelling himself at odd angles and attacking his opponent's large frame, only relying on the premonitions of his opponents attacks that he received from the Force to dodge his opponents blade.

With the Force guiding him, it seemed almost easy as he chipped away with his attacks, scoring a quick, glancing burn with a glancing blow on Grozpirr's ankle. A minor wound in real combat perhaps, but in the rules of the apprentice tournament, it was just as good as the burn on his shoulder. It became abundantly clear that without any ability to impose himself with his strength, the Houk was out of ideas, and he could feel Grozpirr's confidence slipping away from him.

For his part, he could feel himself tiring, his body was resisting some of his more demanding movements, but he was brimming with confidence and he swiftly scored another point, again just an insignificant prod that caught the Houk just above the hip. Grozpirr let out a wordless roar in frustration. Sascha smiled, knowing that he had the upper hand.

Even though he was on the ascent, he refused to let up his furious attack, knowing that his margin of error was incredibly small, if Grozpirr could find a way to impose his strength again, he would be sunk. As he pressed yet another attack, Grozpirr frantically lashed out with a hard kick that he had failed to anticipate. Briefly caught off guard, he slashed downward with his teal blade hoping to intercept the offending leg. Sascha got the sweet satisfaction of hearing his blade connect with the Houk's leg, an instant before that powerful leg connected with his stomach, keeling him over, and leaving him gasping for breath on all fours. He wasn't sure he'd ever been hit so hard in his life; he was seeing stars and his midsection felt like a boulder just got dropped on it. Yet, by scoring the third burn of the contest, he was the winner, even though he was currently lying on the ground incapacitated. What a way to win a match, Sascha thought, not sure if it could have looked less impressive. He was going take it though.

Eventually he was able to pull himself to his feet, bow to his opponent and Master Xan before finding an isolated spot in the audience where he could recover. He waved away a few concerned onlookers, trying to project confidence that he hadn't been hurt that badly. The last thing he wanted to do was to be taken down to the Halls of Healing and withdrawn from the tournament. Taking his time, he probed himself with the Force searching for any sort of injury beyond the ugly purple bruise that was forming, but he couldn't find any. Thank the Force for small miracles, Sascha thought to himself.

He had won, but he anticipated that it would only get harder the further he advanced.


	6. Opening Volley, New Acquaintances

The rest of the first round of the tournament played itself out as Sascha watched and took mental notes, knowing that he'd have to face one of the winners in the next round. There were wins from Neth Enasteri, who overcame a tough matchup against the Lorrdian, T'Bolton. Another winner was Serra Ketto who impressively dispatched Snoga Signas, a Rodian. Nara Nalto was in the last matchup of the first round and ensured that a great deal of the conversation surrounding the tournament would be discussing her and her actions.

Sascha had watched the Togruta warm-up before her match, and it had only confirmed to him that Nara Nalto was as good as advertised. A purple-skinned Togruta, she had dark purple montrals and lekku that were accented with deep red markings. Not very tall for her age, Nara seemed to walk with a sort of swagger that made her seem larger than her physical appearance should have allowed. In warm-ups, the Togruta went through a dazzlingly impressive lightsaber kata, while her opponent, Belaster Obareen, a young Anomid, had watched in wide-eyed amazement.

Sascha wondered why Master Xan would have allowed such an obvious mismatch to happen. Belaster was a nice girl that was destined to be an excellent healer. She was probably only competing in the tournament to show she wasn't completely incompetent in handling a lightsaber. Nara was clearly one of the best Initiates, and was obviously the type of Jedi that was adept at the martial side of using the Force. So what exactly was this match proving?

As the match began, it was immediately clear that Belaster could not hope to hold out for long against Nara. The Togruta attacked with a variety of advanced feints and fakes that clearly overwhelmed Balaster, who was positioning her green blade to defend strikes that were never coming. Instead of bringing the duel to a quick and merciful ending, as would have been proper, Nara seemed to use her time to show to the assembled Masters and Knights just how skilled she was. Togruta scored two burns before Belaster summoned a degree of humility and surrendered.

In the Initiates cafeteria afterward, a large group had formed around Belaster offering encouragement and cheering up the downcast Anomid, while Nara Nalto was treated as if she had the Haxtin plague and was left to eat her lunch on her own. It wasn't exactly subtle, but the rebuke to Nalto's performance must have been clear to her. If it was, the Togruta didn't seem to care much – she seemed very focused as she munched on some appetizing looking meats.

"I mean have you seen anything like that before?" Neth asked, as he wolfed down his meal. Neth was sitting across from him, a bit away from the main group of Initiates.

Sascha was picking more conservatively at lunch, reflecting on what he had seen in the first round of the tournament. "I can't say I've ever seen anything like that in an apprentice tournament," he had to admit. 

"Jedi don't show off and Jedi certainly don't play with their opponents," remarked Neth with what appeared to be genuine anger.

"I'm not sure she would see it that way," said Sascha carefully. 

"You're going to defend her after that?" Neth asked incredulously. 

He frowned at his friend, "That's not what I'm doing, I'm not defending her Neth, I'm just saying that she would likely say that she fought within the rules of the tournament and, I'm sure some of the Knights and Masters were impressed by her." She certainly impressed me, Sascha said to himself silently, both with her skills in sparring and with her blatant disregard for how a Jedi should comport herself.

Neth's features scrunched into a disbelieving mask, "Impressed? She's cocky and arrogant and she doesn't deserve to be a Jedi after that…that display!" Neth stabbed angrily at a piece of his Mayog fish, "I just hope I get to face her in the next round, I'll wipe that arrogant smirk right off her face."

"If you face her with that attitude, you've already lost," he said evenly.

Neth shot him a confused glance "You are supposed to be on my side!"

He gave his friend an apologetic look, "I am, but can't you see how angry you are over this? You're already off balance, you want to beat her so badly you would be easily distracted. That distraction would likely be the difference between her victory and your defeat."

Neth stared at him for a moment in incredulity and then barked a laugh, "You're so right, Sascha. and I bet that many of the other competitors are feeling the same way." Neth shook his head, "I still don't agree with what she did, but I'll admit that it maybe had effects that I didn't see."

"Well, earlier you did say that I knew everything, I'm just proving it to you," Sascha remarked playfully.

Neth rolled his eyes and said, "I thought you were supposed to be the quiet one in Dragon clan."

"I only seemed quiet compared to the rest of the jokers that made up my clan. And anyways there isn't Dragon clan anymore, it's just me," replied Sascha with a hint of sadness in his voice. His fellow clanmates had all became Padawans, and he was likely on his last chance of becoming an apprentice. He felt an incoming tide of sadness - he missed his clanmates dearly, they were his closest friends, they had grown up together and allowed him to become the person he was today. He pushed those thoughts aside. Keep focused, he told himself, this was no time to wallow in self-pity.

The Initiates returned to the main Jedi sparring arena for their second round matches in the afternoon. This time when Sascha entered the sparring hall, he felt completely at ease, after what was thrown at him in the first round he was reasonably confident in his ability to deal with anything else. The Masters entered in their somber procession again and Illena Xan once again announced the pairings for the second round.

"Enasteri, Pau-no-rego up first, next will be Moonseeker and Krannurak, than Ketto and Shol." Iron Hand continued on announcing names, Sascha had to wait to the last pairing to have his opponent be announced, and he had already done the math on who was left.

"Whitestar, Nalto, you'll be our last match," announced Master Xan.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Togruta give him a confident smirk. He knew that the Togruta was likely to be a tough opponent; however, he had taken detailed notes on her style and thought perhaps that he had a tactic or two that he could use to his advantage. He would have to make a plan in his head later, for the moment; his attention was absorbed by the first duel of the afternoon.

Neth was up first and his opponent in the second round was a tall, rangy Lekuan that was giving him fits with his long reach. For the first time in the tournament, Neth looked like he might be in trouble. Initiate Pau-no-rego came within centimeters of scoring a burn on Neth on a couple of occasions. After another close call, the dark-skinned human retreated, playing for time. Suddenly, Neth appeared to have figured out Pau-no-rego's defences and struck with a series of elegant strikes that scored a pair of burns. Sascha let out a breath that he hadn't realized that he had been holding. Neth had shown rapid improvement since the last time Sascha had seen him handle a lightsaber, he'd always struck him as nothing more than ordinary, probably around his own skill level, but now his footwork was solid and his strikes were measured and precise. The dark-skinned human glided around the Lekuan with an easy grace giving him excellent angles to attack from, and shortly thereafter, he scored his third burn and took the match, three to nothing.

Sascha gave Neth a congratulatory slap on the back as he returned to a group of his friends. "Now you have to do the same thing to Nara for me," said Neth. 

"I'll try, Neth," he replied, but he was pretty sure that even if he did win, it would not be three to nothing.

Talia Moonseeker and Evet Krannurak were up next and considering he didn't know either of the two Jedi well, he was preparing to settle in for some light meditation when he saw Nara Nalto make her way towards him. "So you're my opponent?" said the Togruta without preamble. 

"That's the rumor," replied Sascha a bit testily, he didn't particularly care to have a conversation with someone he would soon be competing against. At least she was quiet while Moonseeker and Krannurak duelled, an enthralling contest where Talia was able to come back from being down two burns to zero to win the match three to two. 

"I saw your match against Grozpirr," continued Nara as if there hadn't been an interruption at all, "You did well, though I would have beat him without taking a burn. And I especially wouldn't have let him kick me in the stomach like that. I bet that hurt."

Sascha gave the Togruta a smile, "I know what you're trying to do Nara, it's not going to work."

"Oh, what am I doing?" replied Nara coyly, a picture of youthful innocence.

"You think you're the only one that can read a book on psychological warfare? I know what you were doing this morning against Belaster, you were showing off, but you were also trying to make the rest of us angry, so we'd be off balance when we faced you. It may have worked on the others, but it's not going to work on me, so you can save your time." Sascha paused, considering his next words, "what I don't understand is why you are doing this at all; you are talented enough to be chosen to be a Padawan without playing these little games. What you are doing is not how a Jedi should comport themselves; surely you are smart enough to realize this."

Nara waved away his words dismissively "They can lecture me after I become a Padawan, until I reach that goal, nothing else matters. I'm sorry to say I'll be beating you in the next match, it's nothing personal, you are just in my way. Don't worry, I'll try to avoid hitting you in the stomach, I don't want anyone to think I won just because you came into the match hurt." Even though he knew what Nara was doing, he still felt a little angry at her insinuation.

The next match interrupted their conversation. In that match, Serra Ketto continued to be extremely impressive winning in easy fashion against Makas Shol, a talented Mon Calamari that Serra seemed to be not troubled at all by.

Nara seemed to sense that there would be no further conversation between the future competitors so she got up and was heading away from him when he called out, "Hey Nara." The Togruta paused and turned to look back at him. He offered her a winning smile, "You may have read one book on psychological warfare, but you probably should have read up on Sabacc tactics."

"What could I possibly learn about being a Jedi from a card game played in spice dens?" replied Nara caustically.

"You should have learned that you never show your cards until you have to, thanks for showing me all your cards, I appreciate it." Nara looked at Sascha and he could feel the confusion radiating off of her. The match hadn't started but in the verbal sparring, him gave himself a one to nothing lead.


	7. Duel

After all the other matches in the second round had concluded, it was time for Sascha to face Nara Nalto. He felt the anticipation in the room rise, as it seemed that all of the Initiates wanted to see Nara get taken down a peg after her overconfident display earlier today. As much as he'd like to be a temporary hero within the walls of the Temple, he was pretty sure he was the underdog in this match. That designation suited him just fine.

As the pair moved towards the centre of the room, he gave his opponent a closer look. Nara was a bit smaller than he was and had a typical Togruta build, lithe and athletic as befit a predator. She was skinny, but he didn't think for a second that she wasn't tough. The purple-skinned Togruta once again went into her blazingly fast lightsaber kata as her warm-up, which he blatantly ignored as he stretched out his legs. He took note of the adolescent Togruta's montrals, which were still in the process of growing to their full height, something that wouldn't be completed until Nara's early twenties. Montrals were the name for the hollow horns that adorned the top of the heads of all Togruta, and they were able to sense the proximity and movement of physical objects around them, a handy trick that Togruta had evolved for dealing with the fierce predators of their homeworld, Shili. Though many Togruta Jedi often elected to wear traditional Togruta clothing, Nara had instead opted for a basic beige Jedi Initiates robe, with the sleeves cut off just above the elbow. Her expression showed anticipation for the battle that was to come, with her dark blue eyes showing off a deep inner fire.

As soon as 'Iron Hand' indicated the start of the match, the Togruta was immediately the aggressor, which was precisely what he had expected. Looking to repeat her success against her previous opponent, she adopted the same tactics, using a surplus of feints, head movement and deception intermixed with real attacks.

Nara was fast, there was no doubt about that. If he hadn't sparred Luminara earlier in the week, he may have been caught off-guard by her raw speed, but to him it was just like facing a slightly slower, much less technically adept version of Luminara. As he planned, he maintained a simple defence, minimizing his movements and parrying the real strikes from the Togruta and simply and calmly ignoring everything else. He was more than willing to let Nara tire herself out by expending all her energy on her fancy feints.

As the duel progressed with Nara making no progress, he could sense her increasing frustration, as her attacks became wilder, her feints more elaborate. He almost fell for one or two of her better feints and if he hadn't seen her use this exact tactic previously, he probably couldn't have afforded to be this passive, his defence certainly wasn't that good. Breaking off after another unsuccessful attack, she twirled her blue-bladed lightsaber and barked, "Aren't you going to attack me at all?"

Amused by her frustration, Sascha gave her a small smile and calmly replied, "I'm considering it." Nara re-engaged as she feinted high and then attacked low. Sascha brought his hands together and parried that slash that had been heading for his knee. Growling like the predator that she was, Nara launched into a powerful series of blows as if she could merely batter his defenses aside, but the Togruta was no Houk when it came to strength that for sure.

The match was, quite amazingly, going like he had hoped it would. Nara's mindgames hadn't had an impact on him, he was simply not intimidated by her on any level. The Togruta's overconfidence, so blatantly obvious in her last match, was a weakness that he was working on exploiting. He hoped that by letting Nara frustrate herself against his stalwart defensive stance that she might leave some openings for him to exploit.

With the Togruta trying valiantly to pierce through his defences with an attack, he sensed an opportunity to do some attacking of his own. He moved his teal blade to parry a wayward stroke from Nara, yet a split-second before the blades would have collided, he deactivated his blade, and watched as Nara's blue blade went sailing just wide of his thigh. Off-balance, Nara tried to recover, but he simply re-ignited his teal blade into her now unprotected midsection and danced away from her wild attempts to land a return blow. One to nothing, he thought to himself, and he hadn't even really attacked yet!

Taking a second to curse loudly in what he assumed was her native language; Nara came on the attack again, seemingly undeterred by losing the first point to his tricky tactics. However, she changed her strategy, discarding all of her ineffective feints, and simply trying to overwhelm him with her blistering speed. That particular plan was immediately much more successful, forcing him into a number of desperate parries, and he was clearly put on the defensive with little time even to think about attacking. The first seeds of doubt began to grow in his mind as his defences were pushed to the brink. He had forgotten in his planning that despite her overconfidence that Nara was startlingly good with the lightsaber, moving her blade in intricate patterns that only allowed him to see her intended target at the last moment. Well plan 'A' was good for one point, it's time to figure out if there is a plan 'B' or 'C', he thought.

Planning was something you could do when you had time and Sascha was currently running short of that particular commodity. Nara's lightsaber was coming increasingly close to scoring a point when the Togruta did something unexpected. As Sascha was moving to parry a downward cut, she turned off her lightsaber just before his blade was supposed to make contact with hers, and now with her lightsaber hilt within his defences she re-ignited her brilliant blue blade and scored a burn on his left shoulder. His defences compromised, he rolled out of the way of what he assumed were to be further attacks, but Nara had turned her back to him and sauntered arrogantly back to the centre of the arena.

"You're not the only one that learned how to use tricks, Sascha," said Nara, voice dripping with arrogance.

The sheer self-importance shown by Nara, first showing him her back during a live sparring match and her caustic remarks, almost caused Sascha to lose his cool and make a wild attack. However, he purged that emotion from his mind, knowing that he couldn't beat her if his mind wasn't clear. What was becoming clear was that his purely defensive stance wasn't going to give him good results, Nara was too fast and too good on the attack, and she didn't even seem that tired from her constant forays. He figured that he'd seen how good she was on the attack, he might as well see how good her defence was.

Nara had turned around to face him again, another fierce expression on her face. Absurdly he felt a little intimidated by the predatory ferociousness of his opponent. He shrugged off that particular thought and for the first time in the match, he went on the offensive, cautiously but with real intent. His attacks didn't have the speed or the precision of Nara's but they didn't need to be. All he needed to do was to put the Togruta under pressure and hope that she would crack.

Using one of his favourite patterns, he cut high twice, and then low with a long sweeping thrust that pushed the Togruta backward before he stepped back and reset to a neutral position. Seizing the initiative, he attacked again in the same pattern, which Nara parried, but instead of stepping back after his low sweep, he lashed out with a low kick that caught Nara just below the knee. Shock and surprise appeared on the Togruta's face, as she backed away from him with a noticeable limp.

What he had realized in watching Nara's earlier match was that her defence was almost entirely predicated on speed. Her footwork was sloppy, and at times she almost appeared to almost be tripping over her own feet. He had deduced that because few Initiates had the ability to put her on the defensive, that her skills in that area might not have been as developed as her attacking skills.

Yet, as much progress as he seemed to be making, Nara still had an answer for him. Trying a different attacking pattern he put Nara on the back foot as she stumbled under his pressure. This time instead of relenting to his pressure, the Togruta merely back flipped impossibly high and far away from him, allowing her to catch her breath.

Back in forth the opponents went, each having their turn on the attack, neither seemingly able to beat the others defences, even for a split-second. Sascha was drawing deeply on the Force, perhaps deeper than he ever had, just to keep up with Nara. He had always perceived the Force like it was a river, some days it seemed like he was drawing from a tiny stream, but today it felt like a gushing river. Though he knew he couldn't maintain such a state for too long, even Jedi have limits after all, he was enjoying the sensation of this pure connection to the Force.

As if to emphasize to the viewing public how closely matched the two were, the next burns were scored almost simultaneously, with each Jedi striking at the other and trying to roll away from their opponents' blade. Sascha felt his blade connect to Nara's right leg, a split-second before Nara's blade caught him across the chest. Both Jedi backed away nursing new ailments.

Each combatant was now breathing heavily, Sascha felt like he had sweat through his tunic, and each burn that he had suffered seemed increasingly painful somehow. Even his lightsaber seemed to be heavier than usual. Nara was still limping slightly from the kick he had landed earlier. Had that been a minute ago or ten minutes ago, Sascha wondered. Time was beginning to be something of an abstract concept to him, all that existed in his reality right now was he and Nara Nalto.

With the next point determining the winner, both combatants approached each other with genuine wariness, having invested too much into the match to lose on a silly mistake. As the two circled, Sascha offered his opponent a friendly smile, and was surprised to see a sincere smile and a nod from Nara in return. Even though this was a match that would potentially decide his fate within the Jedi Order, he was enjoying himself, enjoying being pushed to his limit, enjoying being matched with someone who could push him to make him fight his absolute best.

Playing to form, Nara made the first move, thrusting forward with her blue blade, forcing him to change the grip on his lightsaber and slash it away. Nara seemed slower, perhaps she was tiring at last. He was not in much better shape, but he was able to force her on the defensive again. Yet, with an ease that he found almost impossible, Nara back flipped away in a high arc. Tired of her defensive routine, he tried a small Force push to knock her off balance, but it was a waste of energy as the Togruta merely readjusted herself midflight and landed on all fours.

Sascha despaired at how easily Nara was able to get away from him just by using that technique over and over again, he was pretty sure if he tried to do it, he'd end up falling hard on his posterior. He thought of a way that he might take advantage of Nara's reliance on that technique, it was absurd but his body and mind was tired but even a bad plan was better than having no plan at all.

He pressed another attack somewhat sloppily, the speed of his aggressive foray slowed by his aching muscles and a lightsaber that felt more like an anchor instead of a weapon. Sascha got his wish and Nara leaped into another back flip, this time he analyzed the arc of her jump and threw his ignited lightsaber to a place where it would connect cleanly to Nara's midsection but she didn't have a chance to defend with her blade. Sascha watched his teal blade fly towards victory. It's going to work, he thought, hardly able to believe it. A split-second before the blade would have made contact with Nara's stomach, the teal blade retracted and whizzed harmlessly by Nara, the hilt of the lightsaber hitting the ground with metallic 'clank' and skittering away across the floor of the arena.

Confusion reigned in his mind. What happened? Had Nara been able to find and press the activation button on his lightsaber, even as she was leaping away? That level of concentration and control didn't seem possible. While Sascha was processing his failure, he saw his lightsaber move from its resting place on the ground and fly into Nara's outstretched palm. Experimentally twirling her blue and teal blades she called out, "It was a good effort Sascha, but it is over, surrender."

"I don't think so," Sascha replied, racking his brain for Plan 'Z.' 

"I have two lightsabers and you have none, surely it is over," Nara's voice was reasonable, pleading for some sort of rationality from her opponent, a complete contrast from her first round performance.

"I congratulate you on your ability to count to two, but I have not yet been defeated." Sascha dropped into a fighting crouch, "you want the victory? Come and claim it." 

Nara looked confused and more than a little uncertain, wielding two blades was not something Initiates did often, if ever. While certainly they could be used to dazzling effect, it was not without weaknesses, especially in the hands of an unpracticed Jedi.

Sascha wasn't going to give Nara time to figure out this new and unexpected wrinkle to their duel, he attacked with a barrage of kicks targeting the arm and hand of Nara, hoping to connect with a blow that would make her drop one of her lightsabers. Nara retreated in slight confusion, not exactly sure how to effectively wield two blades and disconcerted by the aggressive response from her now unarmed opponent.

He wasn't having much luck in winning his lightsaber back, so he threw everything into a desperate feint and then twisted and dove inside Nara's guard chopping at the Togruta's right wrist, landing a solid strike. Sascha than used the slight weakening of her grip to forcefully wrench Nara's lightsaber from her right hand and then tried desperately to parry what he knew would be an incoming attack from the other blade.

Pzzzt, he felt the contact from Nara's attack and immediate received a sensation of pain on his back. Nara had scored the third burn of the duel and was the victor. Well, it was a good try, he thought to himself, pleased that he went down giving absolutely everything that he had.

Disarming Nara's lightsaber, he bowed to the victorious Togruta, offering her lightsaber to her in his hand, palm up, and said, "I think I still have something of yours." 

Sascha was surprised to see Nara bow even deeper to him, a clear showing of respect, she than straightened, dropped his lightsaber into his open palm before grabbing her lightsaber and reattaching it to her belt. They both bowed to Master Xan. Then Nara placed a hand on Sascha's shoulder, "That was as tough of a match as I think I've ever had, Sascha. I see now that I underestimated you, I'm sorry. I need to thank you though."

"Thank me for what?" replied Sascha, more than a little confused.

Nara smiled easily, "I want to thank you for showing me humility, grace, all those things that I discarded in my quest to become a Padawan. I see now having those traits doesn't make you weaker, perhaps it even makes you stronger," she glanced away, "I'm going to have to change my ways to become a real Jedi, like you." 

"Um…like me?" he said, still not entirely sure what was happening. 

Nara than nodded sagely to him and walked away, joining a group of nearby Initiates that were chatting about the results from the tournament.

Sascha shook off that bizarre conversation and stared at where just recently he'd been so sure that he was going to win and continue on in the tournament. He thought that he'd be feeling disappointment but all he could feel was contentment, and the numbing pain that still racked his body. Sascha wasn't sure if he could have given a better showing of himself, after all as Luminara had said earlier, the tournament wasn't necessarily about winning or losing. Now he just had to hope that another Jedi Knight felt similar to Luminara and thought he could be a good apprentice. Whatever way fate took him, he felt ready to face it.


	8. Final Rounds

Sascha joined the rest of the Initiates in the cafeteria for dinner, accepting praise for his performance and condolences for his loss with detached grace. Uncharacteristically hungry, he was able to get his hands on a delicious platter of Corelian meats that he devoured in what was probably record time for him. After his meal was done, he left the cafeteria while the other Initiates were still hotly debating who would claim the title of tournament champion tomorrow.

Returning to his room, he engaged in one of his favourite pastimes, listening to music. He was shuffling through some of his favourite songs, unable to find one that matched his mood. Listlessly, he shuffled through, until he found a song that made him smile. The song was so old that the name of the band performing it had been lost to time, but the song's theme about moving out of the 'old apartment' had made it timeless. The human singer sung in a strong baritone "…broken hearts and broken bones, this is where we used to live."

Sascha turned the song off. He thought about all the memories he was potentially leaving behind at the Temple and specifically this room, it was the only room he could remember having. Not that his room was anything special. It wasn't very big, it didn't even have a view of the outside, but it was his. His lone place of sanctuary.

It was somewhat absurd to think that one day you could be at the Jedi Temple, one of the most famous buildings in the galaxy, receiving an excellent education at absolutely no cost, with the ability to talk to several of the wisest sages and greatest warriors in the entire galaxy at any time. The next day you could be leaving with all the possessions that you had, which was very likely to be none, no lightsaber, and no indication you were ever a Jedi. Then you were asked to go out and survive in the galaxy, having never really spent a day outside of the walls of the Jedi Temple.

Yet, that was potentially the future he could soon be facing. Sure, he could potentially ask for an assignment to the agricultural corps, but he wasn't really a farmer, he didn't think it suited him. Surprisingly, he wasn't cowed by the idea of leaving the Jedi Order, he knew that whatever challenges awaited him in his life, few of them would match what he had undergone at the Temple, and still he'd still have access to the Force abilities he had learned. The only thing that he wished was that whatever his path was to be, that it would show itself quickly. He listened to music and meditated for a few hours before climbing inside of his bedroll and falling asleep.

The next day the apprentice tournament continued, and with nothing better to do, he went to watch and cheer on Neth Enasteri but he also found himself wanting to cheer for Nara Nalto. His positive reaction towards Nara surprised him, as he never had much interaction before the tournament. Moreover, to be completely honest, the conversation that he'd had with her yesterday still confused him. Yet, for whatever reason, his feelings toward her seemed positive.

Master Illena Xan declared the round of eight would be fought in two groups of four, meaning that whoever emerged as the victor would be in the final. Nara won the first group with some difficulty, but no one seemed to be able to match her speed and ferocity. The second group to his mind contained several of the best remaining Initiates, including Serra Ketto, Talia Moonseeker and Neth Enasteri. Talia was the surprising victor, able to take advantage of the protracted duel that erupted between Neth and Serra, which was an absolute joy to watch. Yet, careful tactics overcame individual skill, to the disappointment of those who wanted to see Nara get her comeuppance from either Serra or Neth.

Later that day in a packed sparring arena, Nara was set to face off against Talia in the final, with the winner being crowned as the champion of the apprentice tournament. Talia had more popularity over the two days of the apprentice tournament than she probably ever had during her entire life; in fact as she warmed up she was surrounded by Initiates that were offering her advice and encouragement. In stark contrast, Nara warmed up alone, using her relative isolation to meditate quietly.

Sascha sat with Neth in the spectator section. Neth was still obviously annoyed at not being in the final and being able to face the Togruta himself. Neth was confident that he would have won, but Sascha wasn't so sure. It would have been interesting to see the two very contrasting styles collide, but if someone forced him to pick a side, he would have bet on Nara.

Sascha was growing annoyed at the overt favouritism that was being shown towards Talia and how Nara was ostracized by his fellow Initiates. He thought he could even feel a subtle hint of sadness coming from the isolated young girl, Togruta supposedly had a strong sense of unity and togetherness, so it must have been extra difficult to be by herself. Sure, she had made mistakes, but the Jedi were supposed to be a family and families forgave mistakes. Mind made up, he got up and walked over to Nara, ignoring Neth's questioning glare.

"Ah, good, I see that my fan club has arrived," Nara commented sarcastically as Sascha reached her side, "seems like he made a small detour first though."

Sascha frowned in mock confusion, "Oh, that…I was trying to find new converts, but I must admit I may have set the entry fee for the Nara Nalto fan club a bit too high; turns out most Jedi don't have a thousand credits lying around, bad marketing strategy I'm afraid."

Nara laughed quietly, but then got serious quickly, "Why are you here Sascha? Can't bear to watch a pretty girl be alone?"

"There's a pretty girl? Where?" Sascha's joke didn't break through the Togruta's stony expression so he switched tactics. "Nara, I'm here for you, as completely cliché as that sounds; I'm here because if Talia gets to have all those false friends help her, you deserve to have at least one real one help you."

"I didn't know that we were friends," Nara replied.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that our friendship just started, but I have to say that it does show promise."

Nara's stony expression finally broke, and while she didn't exactly look happy, the change in her mood was obvious to him. "I'm sorry, Sascha, I never was good at making…or keeping friends, I always manage to do something that pushes them away."

"Well, let's see, yesterday you insulted me, beat me up and knocked me out of the tournament, which maybe took away any chance I had to become a Padawan, but I'm still your friend, you can't get rid of me that easily," he replied in good humour.

Nara smiled in gratitude, "Thanks Sascha, you don't know how much that means to me…and I'm sorry for those things that I said to you. I was just so focused on doing well, I forgot I was supposed to be a Jedi too."

Sascha shrugged slightly, "No problem, Nara, now just go out there and be great, you certainly don't need my help or my advice, just be the Jedi we all know you can be."

Nara gave Sascha a sincere smile, "thanks fan club, I needed that. Now if you'll excuse me I need to visualize my victory." He nodded and withdrew; he couldn't find Neth in the crowd again, so he found an isolated spot by himself and settled in to watch the match. When he extended his awareness towards Nara again, he felt her in the Force - calm, strong, and confident. Too bad there is no way to bet on the winner he thought, because he was pretty certain he knew who was going to win.

It was closer than he expected, but in the end, his bet would have been good. Though Talia was an astute tactician and was able to stymie Nara at times, Nara was simply too skilled. Sascha also thought that the pressure foisted on her by all the other Initiates may not have helped the Aargauun, though of course there was no way to be certain. He felt a little pride as Nara accepted the title of tournament champion, there of course was no trophy, Jedi weren't big on giving trinkets or possessions in general. Nara caught his eye during the round of applause from the crowd and Sascha offered her small salute, Nara nodded noting his salute.

After supper, the Initiates were herded to an old and essentially unused section of the Temple, each Initiate had their own room assigned to them and was to remain there for the next two days, barring trips to the refresher of course. Tomorrow would be the day for potential Masters to spend some time one on one with the Initiates, the day after formal offers of apprenticeship could be made. The system seemed a bit overcomplicated to Sascha, but Jedi were big on tradition and this one had been around for a long time.

While the Initiates were supposed to engage in meditations during this time, reflecting on their time as initiates and contemplating their potential future as a Padawan, he didn't particularly want to do that so he pulled out a datapad and browsed the Jedi archives, studying histories for his entertainment. Sascha could feel the anxiety radiating from the grouped Initiates, but he wasn't all that anxious about what tomorrow would bring. He fell asleep quickly and easily.


	9. A Masterful Occasion

Even on a day as potentially auspicious as this one, Sascha began the day with his morning routine of empty meditation and stretching exercises. In fact with this room being slightly bigger than his normal room, he could afford to get extra ambitious with his warm up routine. After he completed his stretches, he normally would have gotten up and started his day, but considering he was confined to this room and supposed to be meditating, he figured he might as well do as he was supposed to.

His meditations were interrupted by the chime ringing. He rose and went to the door, straightening his robe as he closed the distance. Once he opened the door to see who was on the other side, he smiled, "Master Yoda!" he exclaimed happily. The ancient Jedi Grand Master entered his room with his iconic Gimer stick, dressed in a simple beige Jedi robe. Sometimes it was hard to think that Yoda had lived for more than eight-hundred years, and had been Jedi Grand Master for longer than most beings lived. However he had realized as a youngling that the wisdom of the Jedi Master was simply beyond question.

The young human Initiate bowed deeply to his guest, grabbed a pillow that he had discarded this morning and laid it down for Yoda to sit on. As Yoda shuffled over and made himself comfortable, he sat across from him, settling into a cross-legged position. "To what do I owe the honor of this meeting, Master Yoda?" he asked.

"Meet with every Initiate, I do," prattled Yoda in his odd grammar, "Looking forward to this meeting, I was." Surprised by the compliment, Sascha offered a short bow in gratitude.

"Your last days as an Initiate, I hear," prodded Yoda, his eyes intently seeking out his.

Sascha nodded in the affirmative, "Either I will be a Padawan in the next few days, or I must take my leave of the Temple. It will be difficult to leave the Jedi if it comes to that, but I am at peace with my decision."

Yoda gazed deeply into his eyes, and the human wondered what the diminutive Jedi Master was looking for. Yoda then spoke, "Whitestar, appropriate that name is for you; always you have burned bright for the Jedi. Pleased with you in the tournament, I was."

He bowed again in acknowledgement, "I was pleased by my performance."

"Found a way to help to another Initiate you did, help her see the error of her ways, grateful for that, the Order is."

"I was only doing what I thought was right, I'm always happy to help out another Jedi."

Yoda offered an enigmatic smile, "Brightest Light of the Apprentice Tournament I name you, not strong in the Force perhaps, but strong in convictions. Mark of a true Jedi this is."

Sascha was overwhelmed by the faith that Master Yoda was showing in him, he felt tears welling in his eyes, and he spoke from his heart. "I'll always be a Jedi, Master Yoda, it has taken me a long time to figure out, perhaps too long, but my life is dedicated to the ideals of the Jedi, whether I hold a rank in the order or not."

Yoda nodded at his words and paused for a long moment. Suddenly the Jedi Master rose, which surprised him, "No more lessons I can offer you, you have learned many of them yourself. I only ask one favour, if leaving the Temple you are, pleased I would be to speak with you one last time."

"Of course Master Yoda, though I have to say I hope we do not have that conversation."

Yoda chuckled, "Similar I feel, Initiate Whitestar. Trust in the Force, young one, guide you on your journey, it will." The Jedi Master than made his way to the door in his deliberately slow pace, only catching his eye to give the briefest of nods. Sascha leaned backwards, surprised by the sense of loss that he felt after the wizened Jedi Master left. Though he only met with Yoda rarely, each meeting seemed to let him evaluate himself in a new way.

He took a few minutes to collect himself and prepare himself for another visitor. He was not surprised to see who the next Jedi who rang his chime was. Elegant as ever in her Miralian robes, Luminara Unduli was a pleasure to receive. After opening pleasantries were exchanged, Luminara ignored his offer to sit and began, "I was happy to see you perform so well in the tournament, if only I was able to spend a little more time with you the results could have been different."

He shrugged, "I think I might have required a lot more training to beat Nara, she is very talented. I was pleased to have spent what time I did training with you, it was very helpful."

Apparently accepting that answer, Luminara switched tacks, "Has Master Yoda met with you yet?"

"Yes he was here a little while ago. It was a humbling experience as always – he named me 'Brightest Light' of the apprentice tournament. Though I'm not exactly sure what he meant, I know it was a great compliment."

Luminara's eyes widened, "He gives you this title, in private, and makes no note of it to the other Knights and Masters?" Luminara's voice became almost shrill, "Surely he would know that this may have persuaded some Jedi to give you a closer look as a potential Padawan."

Sascha frowned, "I cannot speak for Master Yoda, but I suspect that that is exactly why he did not do so. Anyone who would choose me as a Padawan because of a title would likely not be picking me for the right reasons."

Luminara stopped her pacing and shook her head, seemingly at herself, "I'm sorry Sascha you must not think me very wise, but this issue clouds my judgement, I believe very strongly that you should be given a chance to be a Padawan. It is frustrating for me to be so helpless in this matter."

He shrugged again, "I've made peace with it Master Luminara, and so should you. It is clear you feel passionately about this, and I am grateful for the support, but you've done what you can, it is time to see where the Force leads us."

Luminara and Sascha locked their gazes briefly, then Luminara looked away, "You've changed even in the few days that I've known you…it's a good change, it's very much like I can see the man you will become." Luminara paused in reflection and then spoke with finality, "I still hold out hope that you will be chosen, but if you are not, please come see me before you leave, I would very much enjoy having a last conversation." Luminara's utterance of the words 'last conversation' tore at his heart, in some ways giving up Luminara who had molded him more in a few days than many could in a lifetime would be a bitter pill to swallow.

"I would never dream of leaving without a final conversation, Master," he said respectfully, using the honorarium that Padawans usually used with their Masters.

Luminara dipped her head respectfully and smiled wanly, "It appears that all I can do for you is to hope we will not have a conversation in the near future." The two shared a brief laugh. "May the Force be with you, Sascha Whitestar,"

"And with you, Master Unduli." Luminara then departed, leaving him alone again.

Sascha received many Jedi Knights and Jedi Masters over the course of the day, but few would have the lasting impression on him that Yoda had. He was of course thrilled to meet with the great Kel Dor Jedi Master Plo Koon, a hero of the Stark Hyperspace war and a personal idol of his. Likewise, meeting Adi Galia one of the Jedi Order's best pilots was also an honor. These Jedi were legends, members of the Jedi Council, just getting to share a brief conversation with them was something he'd likely never forget.

Yet, by mid-afternoon it was becoming clear that while there was some interest in him, he did not think any of the Jedi that had passed through his room would be making him an offer of apprenticeship tomorrow. The young Initiate thought that despite the best efforts of Master Yoda and Master Unduli, that he'd be having final conversations with both of those Jedi tomorrow. The idea saddened him, but only a little.

It had been more than an hour since the last Jedi Knight had visited him, a pleasant Bothan named Nysis Belzara, had departed. He had taken an immediate liking to the Bothan, but their strengths seemed to vary too wildly to be a good Master-Padawan pairing. Sascha had been meditating lightly, but deeply enough that he was surprised by door chime ringing.

"Enter," he said. In stepped a young human woman, who was wearing a brilliantly coloured green robe. She was around the same height as him, Sascha estimated, perhaps a bit taller, her sandy blonde hair was pulled into a practical ponytail. Her build was not exactly stocky, but more like a professional shockball player, certainly, she seemed like someone you didn't want to mess with if you could avoid it. This was all belied by the carefree smile that she wore along with lively green eyes that were seemingly lit in amusement. It was not entirely an unappealing mix of attributes.

"So you're the Initiate that's got Luminara Unduli losing her mind?" she asked. 

Stunned by the directness of her question without even introducing herself, Sascha stammered, "I think so, unless there is someone else that I don't know about."

The still unidentified Jedi Knight let out a brief laugh, "Sorry, I just got back from a mission to Duro, and the first thing I heard when I got back was that Luminara Unduli was considering breaking a several thousand year old Miralian tradition over an Initiate she barely knew. I suppose I should introduce myself now that I'm badgering you with all these questions; I'm Jedi Knight Aurine Brynar." 

"Initiate Sascha Whitestar," he bowed curtly, "At your service, Master Brynar."

The blonde Jedi Knight snorted, "I'm starting to see why Luminara likes you, she always did have a thing for politeness."

Still a bit surprised by the frank manner of the Jedi Knight in front of him, Sascha asked an obvious question, "How do you know Master Unduli?"

Aurine sat down and casually slid into a comfortable position, "Luminara and I are best friends; she and I go way back, we were both in Wolf clan together as younglings. Back then she was always little miss perfect, talented certainly, but so very sour. I swear I didn't see her smile until she was seven, and I think she may have laughed for the first time at age eight."

"Luminara didn't seem that humourless with me," Sascha responded.

Aurine wagged a playful finger at him, "That's because I made it my personal mission to give her a sense of humour; I mean I knew Miralians could be dour, but she was an extreme case. If you look at the results, I'd have to say that my mission has been a success."

Sascha was not quite sure what to make of Aurine Brynar, it seemed like Luminara's endorsement would be a plus, but he didn't particularly want to get chosen as a Padawan merely on the recommendation of a single Jedi. "So, I missed the apprentice tournament, if you wouldn't mind I'd like to see your matches." Quickly, he queued up those videos on his datapad and handed it to the green-robed Jedi Knight.

Aurine started watching the video playing on the datapad and watched intently, "Wow a Houk, not too many of those become Jedi, he's going to be a big one when he's fully grown." Aurine shot him a concerned glance, "You let him just walk up and attack you like that? You realized he was a Houk…you know strong like a Wookiee?"

"It wasn't my finest hour," he admitted lamely, "but it gets better." 

Aurine went back to viewing the match on the datapad, and continuing her running commentary, "I blame Luminara; she tried to teach you that boring Soresu style right? I always found that combat is much easier when you are on the attack." Sascha was at a loss for words, so he was pleased to hear Aurine continue, "See? When you attack, you win! I mean look how easy that was."

"In retrospect my game plan at the start was catastrophic, but thankfully I was able to adapt." Wow, what a sad defence that was, he thought, he decided that he probably should have just said nothing.

Apparently, Aurine had already moved to the next video, his match against Nara. Well, if she hadn't given up hope in him yet, she would probably be impressed by his performance against the eventual winner, he hoped. Aurine appeared much more enthralled by the second contest, and she stopped doing running commentary of the match. He waited patiently, trying to figure out the best tactic to draw attention to himself. Finally, the match must have been over as Aurine handed the datapad back to him and he placed it back in a pocket in his robe. "Name me three tactical mistakes you made in that last match," Aurine quizzed the Initiate.

Wondering what kind of test this was, he took a minute to compose his response and then replied, "First, I revealed that I wasn't troubled by her feints too early, I should have let her think they were effective enough for her to continue using so she would waste energy. Second, I neglected to use my advantage in strength, perhaps it was not too much of an advantage but it was a tactic I should have explored more fully. Lastly, I should have reacted quicker to my lightsaber throw failing, I should have been prepared for both success and failure."

Aurine nodded approvingly, "Good. Now without being offensive Initiate Whitestar, I must ask - can you tell me why Luminara thinks it is so critical that you become a Padawan?" 

Sascha had no response ready, so he went with honesty, "I cannot, Master Brynar,"

"Speculate for me then."

Sascha frowned, but made his case "I'm an excellent researcher and an even better pilot, but those are just skills and skills can be taught. I think that Luminara believes in me so fervently because I am a Jedi to my core. Even if I don't get chosen and I leave the Temple I will always be a Jedi."

Aurine offered a genuine smile, "A fine answer, an honest answer for certain." Aurine seemed to nod to herself, "Thank you for your time Initiate, I have to deliver a briefing on my mission before the end of the day and I'm not making any progress talking to you. It was a pleasure."

"It was my pleasure Master Brynar," said Sascha, but he wasn't sure Aurine even heard him, as she strode confidently out the door.

Even minutes after she left, Sascha wasn't entirely sure what to make of Aurine Brynar.

Aurine was not the last Jedi that visited Sascha Whitestar that day that distinction went to Tera Sinube, an aged Cosian who Sascha had helped on many occasions while working in the archives. Master Sinube was not particularly in a position to take on a Padawan given that he was coming to the end of his career. However, he enjoyed their chat as well as more of the Cosian's stories about the Coruscant underworld. He added him to the ever-growing list of people he was going to miss if he left the Temple. No matter how many times he told himself that he would be fine if he left the Jedi Order, he would always find something new that he would regret leaving behind. Still, in his heart he knew that he was making the right decision.

The next morning began the period during which Knights and Masters could offer to take an Initiate as their Padawan learner. He wasn't holding out much hope of being chosen, though of course he'd be more than willing to be proven wrong. By a few hours after midday, he was already weighing the pros and cons of joining Republic Intelligence or the Judicials. He spent some time on the comparison, but came to the conclusion that he'd have to ask a recruiter for both organizations to gather more information. One annoying sticking point was that he'd have to wait to turn eighteen before joining either, which meant three years of school of some sort.

He could hardly fathom the idea of attending classes with a bunch of 'normal' children his age – would he have anything in common with them? He was looking forward to the possibility of meeting his parents, however. It was a strange idea, meeting his real parents, certainly, he had some extremely vague memories of them, but as he had been taken from his home on Sluis Van by the Jedi before the age of two they were more impressions than genuine memories. What would that reunion be like? Would they take him back happily? Or would they view him as a failure? These were uncomfortable questions to consider for the Initiate.

Even deep in thought, he could sense a presence approaching his doorway. Anticipation rose within Sascha, though he could not tell exactly who it was that was approaching.

The door opened and Aurine Byrnar stepped through, her previously carefree expression was gone, in place was a much more solemn countenance. Aurine moved quickly to sit across from him. Sascha's heart was in his throat, was she going to take me on as a Padawan? He could hardly believe it. He gave her a friendly smile to cover his churning emotions, "Hello again, Master Brynar."

"Good day to you, Initiate Whitestar." What a stark contrast in greetings from yesterday, Sascha thought. Aurine than spoke "I wanted to talk to you again, please let me speak and at the end if you have any questions, please feel free to ask," Sascha nodded that he understood.

Aurine began, "Last night I had a vision…you have to understand I'm not a Jedi that gets a lot of visions from the Force, so that was a special event in and of itself. In my vision, I saw the two of us, together, working as Master and Padawan on a planet I did not recognize. Though the vision did not last long, I could feel the depth of our connection, our bond and how it strengthened us, made us more than the sum of our parts." Sascha was stunned, but kept his silence. Aurine leaned forward intensely, and stared directly at him, "I was not looking to take on a Padawan at this time, I've only been a Knight for a few years, and I only came by yesterday because Luminara was apoplectic over the thought of you leaving." Aurine paused, "Don't worry I'm not doing this for Luminara, I haven't even spoken to her since I got back," she shrugged, "you may not believe me but although Luminara's endorsement is a positive, I would never pick you just because she favours you."

"You are impressive Sascha, far more than I think you realize. This morning, I went around and talked to your teachers, and I couldn't find one of them that would say a bad thing about you, in fact several of them implored me to take you on as a Padawan. You may not be the strongest in the Force or the most skilled, but I can teach you skills. What you clearly have is spirit and that is something that cannot be taught. For those reasons and many more that I am bound to discover, I offer you the chance to be my Padawan learner." Aurine finished with the formal proposal of a Master-Padawan partnership, and while Sascha should have been trying to figure out what questions he wanted to ask her, his mind could only focus on one thing, that he was going to be a Padawan.

He was so dumbstruck he could only manage the simplest of replies, "I have no questions for you Master Brynar, thank you for you for your offer." It was Jedi tradition that he could not indicate if he would be accepting the offer, but all he could think about was giving Aurine a very un-Jedi like hug. Aurine looked surprised and a bit disappointed that he hadn't asked a question but covered that up quickly and left without another word.

Sascha only received the one offer that day, though that was all that he needed. It took all of his ample self-control not to spend the rest of the day singing or dancing in celebration. Eventually he was able to calm himself down with the help of some music. Initiates were theoretically supposed to meditate on their future as a Padawan, but Sascha had spent enough time being sedentary over the past two days that he could hardly bear the idea of further meditation. My last night as an Initiate, how cool is that, Sascha thought to himself. All he could think about as he drifted to sleep was how happy his friends were going to be to learn that he had become a Padawan at last.


	10. Padawan

When Sascha awoke the next day, he was close to being overwhelmed by the urge to run out the door and seek out Aurine Brynar, his new Master. But, the more he thought about it, he realized that it would be foolish to do so. Not only would it seem desperate, it could also leave him unprepared for a day that was potentially going to be full of surprises.

This was the first day of his apprenticeship and he wanted to make a good impression, after all, his apprenticeship to his Master would probably last a decade or so. So he felt it was important to put his best foot forward on his first day. After completing his usual morning routine, he looked up Aurine's room location on his datapad, and made his way out of his room. Once he was in the hallway, he almost collided with a clearly overjoyed Neth Enasteri.

"Greetings, Padawan Whitestar," said Neth, giving Sascha a mocking half-bow.

Knowing that Neth's good mood could only have been caused by one thing, he returned Neth's bow, "Greetings, Padawan Enasteri," he replied, "How did you know I was selected to be a Padawan?"

Neth raised an eyebrow, "Um, the massive grin on your face was a bit of a giveaway, plus you almost radiate happiness. It wasn't particularly difficult to figure out why that is."

"Huh, guess I should work on controlling my emotions then." The two smiled, relishing their shared successes, enjoying the special moment.

The two Initiates, now Padawans, walked together down the halls of the Jedi Temple, swapping stories and memories, before having to go in separate directions to meet their new Masters. There was something almost poetic in that moment where he watched Neth walk away down the high-ceilinged hall, it was like his old Initiate life was disappearing right in front of his eyes. He savored the moment for a second before quickly finding his Master's room. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his composure as best he could and rang the chime.

Almost immediately a terse reply wafted through from inside, "What took you so long?"

Grinning despite himself, he entered to find Aurine meditating in a cross-legged position, having discarded her dazzling green robe for a more demure and traditional beige one. He then summoned what gravitas he could and spoke, "Master Brynar, I accept your offer, I will be your Padawan learner," Sascha spoke the ceremonial words, though he suspected that perhaps Master Brynar was not a stickler for tradition judging by their earlier interactions.

Aurine rose and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "I am delighted to take you on as my Padawan, Sascha. Let us take the next steps on our journey together."

"I am at your command, Master," he replied dutifully.

Aurine smiled, "Subservient already, well there is one lesson I don't have to teach. Come Padawan, we will journey together," she offered him a playful expression, her green eyes dancing in amusement, "But first we will eat."

Sascha hadn't even realized it, as he had been so caught up in the events of the past few days, but he was starving. He actually couldn't remember the last time he had eaten a full meal. He was also looking forward to being able to see the refectories of the Jedi Knights; certainly he thought that it would likely be an upgrade over the Initiates cafeteria. Just thinking about food that was potentially waiting for his consumption was enough to make his stomach grumble.

Aurine…Master Brynar, he corrected himself, led the way out of her room and towards a turbolift that would take them towards the main levels of the Temple. Still daydreaming about the potential meal to come, he heard Aurine sigh, "On which side of your Master should you walk, Padawan?" Chagrined, Sascha settled in a half step behind Aurine, on her right side. This was the correct position for a right-handed Padawan such as himself to stand, because a sloppy draw of his lightsaber would not impale his Master, and it would allow him to protect her flank should they be ambushed. Not exactly likely in the halls of the Jedi Temple, but he understood that it made sense to drill the lesson into him as early as possible. Even making a mistake, and an uncharacteristic one at that, could not dampen his buoyant mood, and making his disposition even brighter, he could sense the quiet joy of his new Master as well.

Aurine paused outside of one of the refectories that dotted the Temple, "You must have been waiting a long time to see the inside of this room."

"Yes, Master," he replied politely, "I'm can't believe I'm going to get inside and not immediately be kicked out."

"Well anyone tries to kick you out, just point them in my direction. I'll sort them out."

Sascha Whitestar decided at that moment that he very much liked his new Master. Aurine entered the refectory and he followed her in. His eyes immediately spotted the food, and he was too distracted to notice much beyond that. He wandered over and grabbed a delicious looking plate of Hawk-bat eggs and waited for Master Brynar to compile her meal, an array of fruits from all over the galaxy.

Much like the Initiates cafeteria, the room was filled with trestle tables and benches, though the furniture in this room appeared to be of a slightly higher quality. In contrast to the bare walls of the Initiates' cafeteria, there were holodisplays hung along the pillared walls to show news from across the galaxy. Normally watching the news would have interested him, but his biggest priority at the moment was eating his meal as quickly as possible without making a poor impression on his Master.

Aurine grabbed a seat at an open table and started fiddling with a datapad with one hand, and eating a blumfruit with the other. He devoured his delicious Hawk-bat eggs quickly, yet trying to keep his manners in front of his Master. Aurine then stabbed at the datapad with an elaborate gesture, evidently pressing a button on the device, "There, you are now officially my Padawan," she said.

Sascha didn't bother covering his surprise, "Just like that?"

"Yup, we Jedi aren't particularly big on bureaucracy, we like to keep things simple. Plus, I already got approval from the Council to take you as my apprentice."

Sascha snorted in amusement, "Too bad the Senate isn't that efficient." The Galactic Senate, the legislative and executive branch of the Republic had been embroiled in deadlock over the last few years, turning what had been a functioning democratic institution into a body that could hardly seem to pass any legislation. Growing disillusionment with the Senate was becoming a problem for the Republic and thus the Jedi, especially in the Outer Rim territories.

"I suppose that I should let Luminara know the good news," remarked Aurine lightly.

"You haven't told her?"

She shot him a wicked grin, "I want to see her expression when she sees us together, it should be priceless," she cocked her head to one side, "I should record it actually." Mind made up, his new Master used her comlink to contact Luminara, "Hey Luminara, I'm back from Duro, meet me in the refectory, you know which one,"

"On my way," came the slightly distorted reply from Luminara. Aurine's mirthful grin remained in place while Sascha sat calmly, not sure how to interpose himself into the relationship between the two friends.

A few minutes later Luminara entered the refectory, found Aurine, and then saw Sascha sitting across from her. He watched an array of emotions play across Luminara's olive skinned face, surprise, joy, and relief were just some of the few he could pick out. Aurine burst out in laughter at the Miralian's reaction, causing a few of the nearby Jedi to glance over at the blonde Jedi Knight. Luminara came over to the two Jedi and sat next to Aurine.

"Luminara, I believe you know my new Padawan, Sascha Whitestar," said his Master.

The Miralian smiled quickly at him and replied drolly, "We've met." Luminara turned her attention to her friend, "I didn't even know you were back from your last mission, Aurine, and I didn't think you were even looking for a Padawan."

"Well, I wouldn't have found Sascha if it hadn't been for you. The first thing I heard when I got back to the Temple was that Luminara Unduli was desperately lobbying every Jedi Knight in the Order to take on some Initiate I'd never heard of, and I just had to see this Initiate in person. The rest, as they say, is history," spoke Aurine rhapsodically. Turning slightly more serious she continued, "So, can I count on your help in training my new Padawan?

"Of course, I'd be happy to."

"Good, because I am not going to be teaching him that boring Soresu style of lightsaber combat, that will be up to you."

Luminara looked appalled, "Soresu is not boring you just don't understand it…" Sascha watched in amused silence as the two Jedi Knights bickered in the friendly way that only good friends could.

After a while, Luminara and Aurine noticed that they were ignoring the young Padawan to continue their debate. Both Jedi gave him apologetic looks, and it was Luminara who spoke up, "Sorry Sascha, but Aurine and I have not talked in some time with both of us being busy for the past few months, I suppose we got a bit carried away."

He shrugged, "I know how it is, I have friends that are Jedi too." With Jedi in high demand across the galaxy, sometimes Jedi spent months or even years away from the Temple.

Luminara rose from her seat, "I have to take my leave, I have an appointment at the Senate that I cannot be late for, though I'm sure we will be seeing more of each other soon enough. Congratulations to you both." Luminara paused, evaluating the two seated Jedi, "A good pairing this is, I think both of you will be very happy with the arrangement."

After Luminara left Aurine finished off the last of her fruit platter, "Well, that was amusing enough. Now seems like a good time to deal with some administrative issues; we should get you a new room, one more befitting a Padawan, and one closer to my room so I don't have to walk through half the Temple to get to you."

"Sounds good, Master, afterward I have a present for you."

"A present?" Aurine's eyes glittered in amusement; "This day keeps getting better and better," Sascha could only nod in mute agreement.

The Master and her new Padawan made their way towards one of the administrative centers in the Temple. Crewed by droids they handled the minutia of running the Temple, such as assigning a Padawan to a new room. Jedi were easy to move around, few had any possessions of note, Sascha himself didn't have any to move, his only real possession was his lightsaber, which was clipped into his belt.

After receiving his new room assignment, he turned to his Master, "I'd like to show you my present now, Master." Master Brynar gave a brief nod, and Sascha took the lead, heading to a cluster of turbolifts and keying in his intended destination, one of the higher levels of the Temple. Sascha could feel the slight confusion of his new Master…and in her place he'd probably be confused as well, what exactly could an Initiate offer his Master? It wasn't like an Initiate could go out and make a purchase from the Coruscant market.

Sascha made his way to the Docking Complex, a hanger that housed many of the Jedi Orders Starfighters and other ships, most of which could be signed out by any Jedi requiring a ship to take them on a mission. There were ships of all sizes within the massive complex, transports, freighters and everything in between. He was looking for a specific ship, but it had been moved since the last time he had seen it, so he brought out his datapad to find out where it was currently being stored. Unable to maintain her silence Aurine spoke, "Padawan, why are we in the docking hanger?"

Sascha found out his target destination, and made eye contact with his Master, "A story, if I may, Master Brynar?" Aurine bit back a look of mild annoyance but nodded.

He started walking towards his destination and began with his story "A few years ago, the people of Sluis Van wanted to make a donation to the Republic to mark the anniversary of their planet joining the Republic. They decided that the best way to show their appreciation to the Republic was to give the Jedi Order one of their newly built ships, as Sluis Van is known for its shipyards. Some say there was also a hidden agenda, there has not been a Sluissi Jedi Knight for more than forty years, and there were some that felt that this offering could 'win back' the favour of the Force as laughable as that sounds. The Jedi Order did not want to accept this gift, lest it set a precedent for systems to curry favour with the Jedi by offering their latest technologies. The Sluissi found an acceptable alternative. The ship would be leased to the ranking Jedi from Sluis Van who would be free to store it in the Jedi Temple, in that way it would be no different than some of the personal starfighters that some Jedi have. That ship is just in the next bay, it's the Emerald Dream."

Sascha finally found the bay where the Emerald Dream was being stored. Sluissi treated shipbuilding as if it was an art form, and he had always found the Emerald Dream to be a particularly beautiful ship. The ship looked like a Spire Falcon waiting to swoop in and grab its prey, it was a predator and near the top of the food chain at that. The best part wasn't just the appearance of course, the Dream had moderate firepower, a topside turbolaser turret, along with two forward mounted laser cannons as its main armament, not exactly overpowering but enough to handle itself. The ship, heavily modified by the technicians in the Temple had an outstandingly powerful set of shields and, as befitted its design it was fast and maneuverable. In the hands of a skilled pilot it was a formidable ship.

Interrupting his reverie, Aurine asked for clarification, "The ranking Jedi from Sluis Van? I don't understand Padawan; you just said there has not been a Sluissi Jedi Knight in more than forty years. Whose ship is this?"

Sascha gave her a smile, "The ranking Jedi from Sluis Van is me, Master Brynar. I was born on Sluis Van."

Aurine's eyes bulged, "The Emerarld Dream is your ship?"

He shrugged indifferently, "I mean it's mine in the sense that I'm listed as the owner, but the ship has always just been a part of the vehicle pool at the Temple. It's not like I had any use for the Dream as an Initiate, because I wasn't exactly going to get the chance to fly it on a mission. Now, with my circumstances changed, it might be time to re-evaluate that stance. The ship is mine, Master, but it is also ours now."

"This is…an unexpected present, Padawan," remarked Aurine, pausing to consider this revelation, "You will of course leave the Dream in the Jedi vehicle pool, available to any Jedi that requests to use it." Sascha was surprised, and only managed a nod of agreement. Master Brynar must have sensed his surprise, "You agree, but you do not understand. It is good for a Padawan to listen to his Master, but when you have questions, you should ask them, after all," Aurine flourished a disarming smile, "This is how we learn."

"Master, I think that I understand. The ship is not really mine; therefore, it should be for all Jedi. I just…I guess…I didn't really think this through very well," Sascha finished lamely, feeling rather inadequate. This had not gone at all like had planned it would.

Aurine grinned, "You don't have to impress me with ships or presents Sascha, I picked you to be my Padawan because you because you are worthy, you must accept that. I understand that this is an exciting day for you, and sometimes we do not always make the best decisions. The key is that we learn from them,"

"Yes, Master," replied Sascha dutifully.

Master Brynar turned and made her way back to the main turbolift, "An excellent present Padawan, I hope that one day we will put this ship to good use. But today will not be that day."

Immediately upon re-entering the turbolift Aurine spoke, "Well, I would like to see what kind of mess I've gotten myself into," she said lightheartedly. "How would you feel about a bit of sparring?"

Sascha returned the lighthearted remark, "Surely I can't be that much of a mess? You did pick me as your Padawan after all." He was lifted by the positivity of his knew Master, even though he felt that he may have made a blunder earlier on. He knew that sometimes he could be too hard on himself when he made mistakes, but he wanted to keep that flaw from his Master for as long as possible.

"Sascha, since you appear to be in the storytelling mood, why don't you tell me about your trip to Illum and the construction of your first lightsaber. I assume it's the one you still have with you right now."

He looked down at his silver and gray lightsaber that rested on his left hip, "You assume correctly, Master Brynar." He took a second to recall his adventure to the sacred Jedi world of Illum and started his story. "I was fortunate that I was sent to Illum as a part of my clan, I had always been close with the other members of Dragon clan, and being able to draw on the strength of my friends was certainly an advantage. Master Yaddle oversaw the expedition, and she sent us into the caves to find our crystals. We tried to stay together as a group as much as we could, but Trigg and Doro ran off early on as they were prone to doing, and eventually we were all forced to go our separate ways."

He glanced up at Aurine, "I understand now that the caves are meant to test a Jedi, and the biggest problem that I was facing, and in many ways the problem I still face, was that I was not particularly confident. So of course, when I found the crystal that called to me it was so high up in the roof of the cave that I didn't think I could ever get up there. I almost gave up right there. I sat on the snowy ground and just stared upwards, looking at my crystal in the distance."

Aurine looked surprised, "You almost gave up just because your crystal was far away from you?"

His cheeks reddened, "It was not one of my finer moments."

His Master seemed amused though, "Padawan, while I appreciate your honesty, perhaps you don't have to tell me everything about your past."

He smiled politely, "Duly noted, Master." Sascha continued his story, "for long minutes I despaired in the cold cave, thinking about how all my other friends were going to get their crystals and make their lightsabers and how I wasn't. I thought about how unfair it was that 'my' crystal was so far away from me and would require long minutes of dangerous climbing to reach. Eventually I just gathered what composure I could, and I decided that I would rather die climbing some cave wall on Illum than leave without my crystal. I could see it, perfect and beautiful; it was teal, my absolute favourite colour and a rare colour for an Illum crystal. I climbed the wall, ignoring the cold, ignoring my dislike of heights, ignoring everything else except for that crystal."

"Near the top of the cave, I realized that to get to the ledge to claim my crystal I would have to make a jump across a chasm. It looked so far away, but at that point, I didn't care, I had come so far, so I just put everything I had into that leap…I just barely made it. Afterward I looked back at the chasm…"

Aurine picked up his story "…and you found it wasn't even far at all. It was a leap of faith."

He nodded in assent, "Afterward, I almost got lost in the caves, but I never panicked, I knew that if I could sense my friends I could find my way out, and I did. When we were together again, the six members of Dragon clan, we saw that each of us had overcome our own obstacle and gotten a crystal of their own." Sascha smiled to himself, that moment when each of them had shown their crystals to each other had been one of the happiest of his life.

"My friends and I thought the hard part was over, we had found our crystals, we thought that constructing a lightsaber would be easy in comparison."

Aurine sniggered, "How wrong you were,"

"How wrong indeed," Sascha laughed, "We all got very frustrated, I'm sure that was quite common for Initiates trying to make their first lightsaber. Of course, the more frustrated we got, the harder it became to connect the components of the lightsaber together. It was so difficult, the construction of our first lightsaber is what many of us had been dreaming of since the age of five, now we appeared to be so close to the finish line, but none of us were able to cross it." Sascha remembered despairing as he looked at the components of his lightsaber, how intricate it was, how many different nobs and screws there were and wondering how anyone managed to fit them all together, truly it had seemed impossible.

"Eventually Tyra brought the other five of us together and said, 'Look, none of us can apparently do this on our own, so maybe we can to do it together.' So together, as a clan, as friends who had known each other for years, we meditated and eventually what was difficult became easy, and what seemed impossible only minutes ago became reality. I'll always remember that moment when we ignited our lightsabers in unison, it was a total triumph, for we knew as individuals we had weaknesses, but as a group, we were unstoppable."

"You know if this Jedi thing doesn't work out, you should become a storyteller," remarked Aurine with a dry wit. Sascha had gotten so involved in telling his story he hadn't even realized that they had entered one of the many myriad sparring chambers of the Jedi Temple. "So show me what that lightsaber is good for!" Aurine ignited her green blade and leapt in on the attack. Surprised, he drew his turquoise blade quickly and managed a wild parry. Sascha wondered idly if Aurine's lightsaber was on full power, purportedly Jedi Knights had sufficient control over their blade that they would not make contact with their opponent if they did not choose to, He was glad he didn't have to worry about that, his lightsaber was still on the 'burn' setting from the tournament.

He opted for his typical defensive tactics, but after a few moments he realized that his Master wasn't really testing him; she was attacking playfully, with outlandish feints, and trying out the most absurd of tactics. Grinning and joining her, the two discarded the traditional forms of lightsaber combat, to duel in the most un-Jedi way imaginable.

Sascha felt the Force crackle around them, the joy from the combatants seemed to wash over each other, leaving both seemingly unable to wipe the smiles off their face. Neither combatant landed a strike, though neither was really trying to, instead the goal was to force the opponent into the most absurd defence possible. He was enjoying the experience immensely, but Master Brynar called proceedings to a halt reasonably quickly.

Aurine, breathing hard from her efforts, put an arm around her new Padawan. "Well, that was fun; I was worried for a second that you might be dour like Luminara, who wouldn't understand what the point of that was." Sascha was just about to comment that he didn't really understand either, until a flash of insight struck him and he did. He realized that Aurine didn't just want him to see her as his Master, an aloof Jedi just concentrating on teaching her skills to her apprentice, but to see her as Aurine Brynar, light-hearted Jedi Knight. She was demonstrating that while she could and would be his Master and he her Padawan, there was potential for friendship between the two of them.

"Thank you Master, that was a lesson that I hope I will not soon forget."

His Master's lively green eyes danced, "Good, you are dismissed for the day. Tomorrow I must begin your real training, but the rest of the day I leave to you." Aurine gave Sascha an enigmatic look, "I suspect you might be busy. I will see tomorrow when your tasks are completed."

He couldn't keep the confusion from his voice, "Uh, thank you, Master, I will."

Sascha started to go to his room, and by force of habit he almost went to his old room, he actually had to consult his datapad to find where his new room was. He was still sifting for the right screen when suddenly a message popped up on his datapad, which instructed all new Padawans to meet in one of the lecture rooms in a few hours. He wondered what it could possibly be about.


	11. Fashion

The lecture rooms at the Jedi Temple were generally spartan when it came to decor, simple chairs and benches for the students to use and a modest old holoprojecter for the teacher to teach from. That was all that had ever been needed for any of Sascha Whitestar's classes. He arrived at the assigned room minutes earlier than the designated time, for he certainly did not want to be late for…whatever this was supposed to be. It was rare for anything to be this secretive within the walls of the Jedi Temple, after all, everyone here was a Jedi.

Sascha noticed that a few of the other Jedi had gotten to the room before him; he noticed Talia Moonseeker, and Sarrisa Jeng already seated. He didn't know any of the Jedi in the room particularly well so he decided to sit by himself. As he tested out more and more ridiculous theories of what this was supposed to be, more new Padawans filed in, Serra Ketto and Neth Enasteri included, the latter giving Sascha a nod and a wave before finding a group of his own friends. The only person of note that seemed to be missing was Nara Nalto. Sascha frowned, surely she must have been chosen to become a Padawan? Sure enough, just seconds before the event was supposed to start, Nara strolled in, apparently oblivious to the fact she was the last to arrive. Nara grabbed a seat next to him, only a few heartbeats before the entrance of a clearly more senior Padawan.

Sascha racked his brain, trying to figure out the name of the Padawan that had entered. Sadly, his encyclopedic memory fell short in this instance. He guessed that the light-skinned, dark haired human of above average height was perhaps a year or so away from taking the trials and becoming a Jedi Knight. The older Padawan moved to where normally the teacher would normally teach from and raised a hand to silence the room. Like the compliant Jedi they were, silence broke out quickly. In an almost detached voice, the Padawan began, "Hello and congratulations fellow Padawans, my name is Joclad Danva and I will be your guide tonight." Sascha and Nara shared a glance, each wondering why they need would need a guide. "I am sure some of you are wondering when you are to receive your Padawan braid – no need to worry any longer, this is the purpose of tonight's ceremony." Joclad's eyes danced playfully, "Don't worry, we won't ask you to braid your hair yourself, experience has taught us that most of you simply don't know how." The crowd of Padawans laughed lightly.

Joclad began to pace, "Your Padawan braid is more than just a lock of hair, it is the most significant sign of your new status as a Jedi apprentice. It is important that you get used to it, because you'll be wearing it for the next several years of your life. For that reason, we ask that you pair up, and discuss with your partner what you want your braid to look like and why you want it to look that way. Make sure your partner knows what you want from them - communication is key to being a successful Padawan."

Joclad waved his hand at a table that had an array of small trinkets and ribbons on it, "We have various trinkets that you may find that you want to use in your braid, you may want to run to your room to include something special, and some of you will just want to get this over and done with. All are perfectly valid choices; just know why you are doing it. You may consider this your first challenge as a Padawan. Is there any questions before we begin?

There were none.

Nara immediately leaned over and elbowed him playfully in the side, "partner?" she asked.

"Do I have a choice?" Sascha responded with an over-exaggerated sigh.

The Togruta took the jest in good spirits, "On the plus side, you don't have to learn to braid hair, and I already have my braid ready." He was surprised that Nara was so prepared for this moment, he hadn't the slightest idea how he wanted the indication of his new rank to look. Nara clearly noticed his surprise, "Don't look so shocked, I've only been preparing for this moment since I was five years old."

Togruta, because they didn't have hair, obviously couldn't braid their non-existent hair, so they usually attached a string of beads to their montrals to indicate their new rank. Nara removed a string of beads from a pocket on her belt, Sascha had expected them to be uniform in shape and colour but each individual bead appeared to be different. Nara noticed him staring, "Yes, they are all different; they all indicate a special event in my life at the Temple." She pointed a purple finger at one of the first beads, "This one reminds me of the first time I was able to lift more than five objects at a time with the Force, this azure bead is from when I aced my last hyperspace math test. I can tell you the story of each of these beads. They were the milestones on my path to becoming a Padawan."

Surprised by Nara, he forced himself to re-evaluate his opinion of the Togruta. He'd assumed Nara was much more cold and detached from her emotions, hence her tendency to come off as arrogant. But perhaps she was just merely very driven. Certainly he was impressed by the degree of thought that she had invested into her braid, and it made him feel like he hadn't prepared enough for this moment. He thought that perhaps he should just opt for a plain braid, reflecting the lack of thought he had put into this moment, and if he had any good ideas, well, he could always implement those later. But that didn't feel right either, it felt haphazard, like he couldn't be bothered to think about what becoming a Padawan meant to him for more than a few minutes.

He rose from his seat, "Come on let's go check out what they have at the front." Nara placed her intended braid back in a belt pocket, and joined him. He began scan the array of beads and weavings of various colours that had been laid on a small table at the front. Other Jedi milled around and grabbed small trinkets to add in their braid and others were getting the braids done by their partners. Sascha sighed; he'd never been the type of person that focused much time or effort on his appearance and now he was being forced to make a very public fashion decision. Plus he'd have to live with it for the next ten or so years. No pressure.

When in doubt, trust in the Force, he thought. He opened himself up to the Force and found himself being pulled towards a group of thin ribbons. Smiling at finally finding something that felt right, he grabbed two of the ribbons.

Nara dutifully followed Sascha back to their seats, "Uh, so what's with the ribbons Sascha?"

He sat and spoke, "The teal one is for me, it's my favourite colour, it's the colour of my lightsaber, the green one is for my master, she has a green robe and a green lightsaber. By tying these two ribbons in my braid it will symbolize how we will be together as Master and Padawan."

"You just thought of that, didn't you?"

"Was it really that obvious?" he asked.

Nara smiled, "It's fine, and it's as good a reason as any for someone to put ribbons in their hair. I've always thought that human hair was so boring compared to lekku, might as well add some trinkets."

Sascha first clipped Nara's braid into place and then settled into his seat, "You sure you want me to braid your hair, you know that I don't even have hair!" commented Nara wryly.

"I'm sure the victor of our most recent Initiate Tournament can manage this grueling task," replied Sascha sarcastically.

"Sure, whatever, just don't come complaining to me when you don't like how it looks." He patiently ignored Nara's muttered curses as she wove the two ribbons into his not-quite-long-enough to easily braid dark brown hair.

"Okay, that should do it, do you like it?"

"Uh, Nara I hate to break it to you…but humans can't see the back of their head without a mirror."

Nara put her hands dramatically on her hips, "Do you ever get tired of being sarcastic?"

Sascha smiled, "I'm sure it looks great Nara."

"If you think it looks great, then I need to send you some fashion holos."

"That would be great! Do they have the latest in Jedi fashion? Is beige in this year? Inquiring minds need to know, Nara."

She gave him a weary look, "I've made a huge mistake in becoming your friend haven't I?"

He nodded, "Quite possibly."

Nara than punched his shoulder playfully and the two made their way out of the room. Once outside, the Togruta paused, "Can I talk to you seriously for a moment?"

He turned to look back at Nara, and was surprised to see her looking at the floor. For the first time ever, Nara Nalto didn't look completely confident. "Of course, Nara. Do you want to find somewhere that's a little quieter?" The Togruta managed a subdued nod and he quickly found a more secluded area off one of the main hallways. He gave her a little, friendly punch on the shoulder, much like he had earlier. Nara stirred, offering him a weak grin, but said nothing. "Hey...what's bothering you Nara?"

The Togruta fidgeted, seeming uncomfortable, "I wanted to thank you for helping me during the tournament, but I understand that I rank rather low on the list of your friends. So you don't have to indulge me anymore. I'm strong enough to take care of myself." Announcement made, Nara turned and started walking away.

He stopped her by grabbing her shoulder, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nara, when I said I was your friend I meant it."

She sighed, "I know, it's just everyone says you are close with your clan friends and I don't want to stand in the way of that." Nara lightly brushed his hand off of her shoulder and seemed determined to get away from him.

Sascha was not deterred so easily, so he grabbed Nara's trailing hand and held her lightly in place, "I'm close with my friends Nara, but I have room in my life for more friends." Nara looked up hopefully, so he continued, "We became Padawans together Nara, and you just tied my Padawan braid, that's something that none of my other friends can say. I want to keep being your friend. If you'll have me, that is."

Nara bounced excitedly, and punched his shoulder somewhat harder than she had previously, "Of course I want you to be my friend!"

"Ow," he said, rubbing the spot on the shoulder she just punched, he was just being dramatic…but his shoulder did hurt a bit. For such a spindly little Togruta, clearly Nara Nalto could throw a punch. "Okay, good. Friendship agreed. I propose that the first order of our friendship should be that we stop beating each other up so much."

"Motion denied," replied the Togruta, raising her fists and dropping into an exaggerated combat stance. He gave Nara a look that he hoped was mature, and Nara sniggered, "I'm a Togruta, a hunter, it's in my blood to be physical. Sorry, but if you want to be friends with me, you'll have to put up with the occasional punch and sparring session."

Sascha looked down, "The punches I can take as long as they remain playful. The sparring sessions are probably not a good idea. I'm not sure you can learn much from sparring with me. Let's face it, you are a lot better than me, it was a minor miracle I was able to hang with you for so long at the tournament. You'd be better off sparring with someone different."

Nara shook her head at him, "You have no idea how much I learned from that one match we had, Sascha. You were able to defend against all of my attacks and you were also able to put me on the defensive. That was me at my absolute best, and I barely managed to beat you. Oh, and I went on to win the whole tournament, so where in the Force did you get the idea that you aren't a viable sparring partner for me?"

"Well, I'm not as strong as you in the Force…"

The Togruta threw her hands up in exasperation, "Okay? So what? Does that mean you can't teach me something? I know for a fact that your defensive skills are better than mine. Can I not learn from that? Where is your confidence Sascha? You just became a Padawan, you should be ready to walk out the front door and take on the galaxy, but a sparring session is too much for you to take?"

"I…I…"

"You have no excuse, yes?" said Nara, smiling sweetly.

He slumped from the shoulders, "I have no excuse. I'll spar with you, should the opportunity arise."

"Good. I look forward to our next match."

He could only smile at the Togruta's enthusiasm, "Okay Nara. Thanks for the boost of confidence. We'll see if I can do better than the last time." Nara's blue eyes sparked a little bit at the implicit challenge, but her smile was genuine and friendly. Sascha and his newest friend started walking out of their secluded spot and back into one of the main hallways.

"So I forgot to ask, who chose you as their Padawan?" inquired Nara.

"Aurine Brynar. She's a young Jedi Knight."

"I'm…not sure I know who that is," Nara responded, slowing her pace fractionally.

"It's okay, I don't think you are supposed to know every Knight in the Order. There are ten thousand of them."

"I suppose that's true. I just commented because she didn't visit with me and I met with a lot of prospective Masters."

"Show off."

The Togruta held her hands up, as if protesting innocence, "Hey, I only got one offer of apprenticeship, I just met with a lot of Knights and Masters."

"Well which one of them was smart enough to pick you to be their Padawan?" Sascha inquired.

"Jedi Knight Tiplee," replied Nara in a dull, flat tone.

Sascha paused in the middle of his stride. While he had barely gotten to know his Master yet, he still was enthused to get to know her better. Nara treated the mention of her Master like she had swallowed a profoundly bitter piece of fruit. "That…wasn't the reaction I was expecting."

Nara sighed, "Sorry, I seem so bi-polar today. This day has just been so crazy. I woke up an Initiate, and now I'm a Padawan." She shook her head dejectedly, "I'm pretty sure I botched my first impression with my Master though. She barely speaks with me and she had me run drills all afternoon. And when I finished them, I didn't get any comments beyond 'good.' I want to learn and get better and prove myself worthy of being taken on a mission, but I'm not sure I can do that by showing lightsaber katas."

"I'm sure you'll win her over, Nara."

"I suppose," she said without much confidence. "Do you have any tips for me?"

"I know exactly as much as you do about how to interact with a new Master. I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone else," he said apologetically.

"I just can't believe with all the classes we took as Initiates, there was no class on how to make this transition. Who even designs the curriculum in this place," said Nara half-frustrated, half-joking. "Anyway, Master Tiplee said that we are starting training early in the morning, so I better get to sleep. See you around, Sascha." The Togruta bowed deeply and he returned her bow, straightening up to deflect an incoming punch from Nara. "It looks like someone is learning," she said slyly, before giving him a wave goodbye and making her way towards her room.

After he and Nara had gone their separate ways, he had planned to retire to his room for the night but, that was apparently not the last fashion decision he was going to make that day. As a Padawan he was entitled to slightly more customization of his clothing, so he headed to the quartermaster's office, and used one of the terminals to select the new look of his robe and tunic. He selected a basic looking robe that was a deep charcoal gray, his inner tunic a lighter gray, along with a black belt and boots. His outfit was to be delivered the next morning and he was looking forward to having a new look, the old Initiate look was a thing of the past, he had a new look for a new, bright future.


	12. Training, Part One

Sascha stayed up most of the night reading whatever he could find about his new Master. He figured that if he could find out what type of Jedi Knight she was, he might be able to adjust himself to her expectations. Despite his research prowess, he couldn't find much information about her, as a Padawan he still wasn't able to search the whole Jedi archives, which would have been inordinately helpful in his search. From what he was able to cobble together he found that Aurine Brynar was a solid, if unspectacular young Jedi Knight, her main strengths appeared to be tactics, working with various militaries, mediation and piloting.

He nodded to himself, she was a warrior, or in Jedi parlance, she was a peacekeeper, someone who would be sent to corral dangerous criminals or liaise with militaries and police forces across the galaxy. That worked for him, while he was hardly the most accomplished fighter, he was a very good pilot, and he felt confident that with training from his new Master he would do well. A good Padawan did his best to fit in with his Master regardless of the task, and he desperately wanted to be a good apprentice. He had waited a long time for this opportunity and he did not intend to waste it.

He unrolled his bedroll, enjoying the surroundings of his new room for a moment, before crawling inside the roll and falling asleep almost immediately.

Hours later he was awoken by the sound of his door chime ringing. He groaned, by his internal clock it was far, far too early to be awoken. Perhaps this was some sort of new Padawan hazing ritual. He shut his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.

His eyes might have been closed for half a second when someone bursts through his door and turns on the lights. Startled, he fumbles around trying to grab his lightsaber and point it at the intruder. By the time he manages to grab it, he is staring up at his Master, who has a rather amused expression on her face. He choose not to ignite his lightsaber.

"Good morning, Sascha."

He brushed his hair and tries to seem casual, "How did you get in? I'm pretty sure I locked my door last night."

"All Masters get the code to their Padawan's room, so they can't sleep the morning away and avoid their Master," the Jedi Knight responded.

"Are you sure it's morning, and not last night still?" he asked petulantly.

The blonde-haired Jedi Knight seemed wide-awake and perky, even at the early hour. She made a show of checking her chrono, "Nope, my chrono says it's time to start training my Padawan. Oh and I brought you these." The Jedi Knight throws a package of clothing at him, it hits him square in the chest, and the impact nearly knocks him onto his back. "Get changed and come find me in one of the sparring rooms." The Jedi Knight is gone before he can get his addled brain to formulate a reply. For half a second he tries to think if this has all been some sort of stress-induced dream, before he discarded that idea as wishful thinking.

He changed out of his old beige Jedi robe and into his new gray one, enjoying the feel of his new clothes. Yet he doesn't even have time to check how he looks in the mirror, he doesn't think being tardy was the impression he wanted to make to his Master on his first day of training. Sascha walked quickly through the halls of the Jedi Temple, the lighting is still dimmed, most Jedi are still asleep, and it is still dark outside. As he gets to the section of the Temple that houses the sparring rooms, he knelt quietly and calmed his mind. He searched in the Force for his Master, trying to find which of the sparring rooms she is in. He found her surprisingly easily, considering he's only known her for a couple of days. Of course, by the time he finds her in the Force, he realized that he could have just checked what room Aurine had reserved on his datapad. "It's too early in the morning for critical thinking," Sascha muttered to himself.

Sascha entered the sparring room, finding Aurine stretching her legs and Luminara meditating off in a corner. His Master offers him a friendly wave, "Morning, Sascha. I'll start the lesson soon, but first, go get my lightsaber for me, I appear to have dropped it."

"Of course, Master," he replied, not seeing why she needed her apprentice to do this very simple task. His eyes raked the room, searching for his Master's lightsaber, he finds it beyond the form of the meditating Miralian. He figures it might be a trap, the easy thing to do would be to reach out with the Force and just bring it into his hand, but a Jedi is not supposed to use the Force for a trivial matter such as this.

He sauntered over, passing close to Luminara, his brain still not quite at full capacity. As he's walking by, his danger sense flares, but far too late for him to react. He is sent flying into the nearby wall, bouncing off the padded barrier and coming to rest in a stunned little heap. He laid still and blinked a couple of times, assessing his status, before deciding he is unhurt. Okay, this is definitely some sort of hazing ritual, he thought. Sascha picked himself up, and dusts himself off before making towards his Master's lightsaber again, this time paying a little more attention to Luminara. The Miralian sits peacefully like she did before, but he was pretty sure that she had Force pushed him into the wall just a moment ago.

Again, when he gets to the exact same point as before, Luminara raised her arm and used the Force to push him backward. Although he is a little more prepared this time, he is unable to stop himself from tumbling onto his backside. Nodding to himself, and now fully awake, he again picked himself up and prepared to deal with Luminara blocking his path. This time he carefully watched Luminara and readied himself to deflect a Force push from her.

Concentrating deeply as he walked towards her, he felt the Miralian's push incoming, but even completely prepared and focused on Luminara, he was still buffeted backward. Maintaining his balance, he tried to reach out with the Force, picturing the invisible hand that was pushing him backward and shrugging it off of him. Unfortunately for him, Luminara merely adjusted the angle of the push and redoubled her effort, pushing him down and sending him tumbling back towards his Master.

He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opens them, he sees the face of his Master looking at him, an amused expression on her face. "You appear to be having some trouble, Padawan," she remarked lightly.

"Your friend, Master Unduli is blocking my way," he said from his back, "Do you have any advice for me?"

"Use the Force, Padawan," she said sagely.

"Any specific…method of using the Force you'd recommend, Master?" Aurine smiled, but didn't say another word. "Thanks for the advice," he muttered.

He sighed and picked himself up again, this time feeling a bit beaten up. He decided that if Luminara is standing in his way, he's going to try to remove her from his path. The Miralian is still sitting there placidly, not seemingly like an obstacle at all. Despite her physical stature not being all that imposing, to him, she seemed as big as mountain to him. But she's a mountain he's going to take down. Or try, at least.

He walked steadily towards her, keeping his mind calm and free of thoughts, until he gets close to Luminara. Then, he quickly launched a kick aimed at the seated Miralian's head. Luminara quickly ducked out of the way, and in that same motion, bounces to her feet. Surprised by the quick reaction from Luminara, he is just able to enter a fighting stance by the time she has made her first move, sweeping his feet out from under him. Sascha sprung back up to his feet just in time to block an incoming kick with his arm.

Unarmed combat is not like lightsaber combat, there is no grace to it, and no established patterns to fall back on. It suits Sascha Whitestar just fine. Unfortunately for him, Luminara is much better at unarmed combat than he is. He doubles up on a jab towards her head that the Miralian easily bobbed around. In reply, Luminara feints a high kick before landing a quick hook to his side. Grunting, he absorbed the blow, and circles around the Miralian, looking to grab his Master's lightsaber, even as he's getting the tar kicked out of him.

Luminara is far too canny for that however. As soon as it became obvious what his plan is, Luminara just puts herself bodily in front of the lightsaber, his goal. He uses a teep, a push kick that is one of his favourite techniques, it lands on the Miralian's midsection, pushing her back and giving him a bit of space to work with. He feints another teep before trying a right-high kick. Luminara swats that kick aside, and pivoted inside his guard, landing rapid-fire punches to his midsection. He tried to step back and regroup, but the Miralian drops low and sweeps his feet out from under him again. This time, he can't scramble back to his feet, his body just won't let him.

He curls into a defensive ball and makes no move to get up. He feels someone using the Force to gently lift him up and float him back towards his Master. When he opened his eyes again, he is again greeted by the smiling face of his new Master staring down at him. "You still don't have my lightsaber, was this too much to ask, Sascha?"

"Master, I don't think I can beat her, she's basically a Jedi Master, and I'm barely a Padawan!"

Aurine raises her eyebrows, "So, you give up?"

"I'm just point out that you set me an impossible task. Luminara is a lot stronger in the Force compared to me."

Aurine sits beside him as he struggles into a seated position, "Ah, and being stronger in the Force makes her better at you at everything? So is Master Yoda the best pilot in the Jedi Order? The best mechanic?"

"I…no…I suppose not. But Luminara is a better fighter than I am. How can I get your lightsaber when she is blocking my way?"

Aurine laid a hand on his shoulder, "I gave you the only advice that you needed. Use the Force, Padawan. It will show you the way."

He stood, ignoring the pain of his aching limbs. He fingers his lightsaber, and decides that although he can't hope to beat Luminara in hand-to-hand combat, he did once manage to beat Luminara with his lightsaber. He decided that this is his best chance to get his Master's lightsaber, and he thrums his teal blade to life. He hoped that upon hearing his blade activate, that Luminara would stand and activate hers, but she merely sits there with her back turned to him, meditating.

Whatever this training session is, he isn't sure he wants to use his lightsaber to attack an unarmed opponent, whether its set on low power or not. Frustrated, he shakes his head, disengages the blade and places it back on his belt.

Instead, he closes his eyes and focused on his Master's lightsaber, hoping he can float it to him without Luminara noticing. The lightsaber moved from the ground and towards his hand…until Luminara focuses on grabbing it with the Force herself. Caught in an invisible tug of war, the steel gray cylinder hangs in the air. Slowly, inexorably, it floats towards Luminara's outstretched hand; the Miralian simply has a better understanding of telekinesis than he does. Deciding that he can't win like this, he physically launched himself at Luminara, hoping that she might be too distracted to notice him. Unsurprisingly, you can't surprise a Jedi Knight like that.

The Miralian grabs him, using his momentum against him and throws him over her leg, landing on top of him as Sascha tumbled to the ground. The air rushed from his lungs twice, first from impacting the ground and second from Luminara landing on top him. Wheezing heavily, trying to get air back into his lungs, he doesn't resist as once again Luminara floats him back towards his Master.

Sascha wonders if he could be making a worse impression on his Master, and he thinks hard about giving up as he dazedly dragged himself to his feet, feeling every single welt and bruise that this training session has given him. He is officially out of ideas, he can't beat Luminara, and she clearly intended for him not to get past her. The only instructions he had been given was to get his Master's lightsaber and the only advice he got was to use the Force…

Maybe there is another way to think about this scenario, he decided. He dropped into the current of the Force, using it as a probe of his surroundings. Calmly, he feels for his Master, she's peacefully watching him, perhaps a bit amused at how this scenario is playing out. At least she isn't angry, he thought. He turns his focus to Luminara, and is surprised to see her not as an implacable enemy, but as an ally. Her presence is friendly, inviting.

I'm an idiot, he realized. He walks up to Luminara, hands clasped behind his back, making himself as non-threatening as possible, "Master Unduli, can you pass me Master Brynar's lightsaber?"

The Miralian smiled, turned, picks it up and then hands it to him.

Feeling like the dumbest Jedi in history, he walks over to his Master and hands Aurine her lightsaber, "Your lightsaber, Master."

"Thank you, Padawan," she says as she affixes her lightsaber back into its proper place. Sascha sits down, places his head in his hands and wondered when he became so stupid.

"I'll see you two at breakfast, I imagine that you have some things to talk about," said Luminara as she exits the room.

Aurine sate beside him, "So, Padawan what did you think of your performance?"

"Pathetic," he remarked, trying and failing to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"Do you know why I wanted to test you like this?" she asked. Sascha shook his head, still disappointed in himself for acting like a total idiot. "I know what your strengths are Sascha, but you used none of them in this exercise. You are smart, and good at reading situations, but you didn't use either of those skills today, why is that?" He had no answer for his Master so he stayed silent, hoping that he wasn't digging himself into a deeper hole. "You researched me, didn't you?" she asked.

"I did, last night."

"And you found that I'm a fighter, a warrior, a peacekeeper, so today when you were presented a challenge you tried to solve your problem with violence because you thought that is what you should be. Remember Sascha, what form of combat is most effective for a Jedi?"

"Form zero," he replied, "Diplomacy."

Aurine nodded in approval, "Correct. I told you to use the Force, and while eventually you stumbled upon the right thing to do, what you eventually did was what you should have done first. A Jedi should always evaluate their surroundings and only resort to violence only as an absolute last option. You did not evaluate your surroundings."

"Because it was routine!" he interjected peevishly, "I wasn't expecting to be pushed into a wall!"

"You had plenty of time to explore alternative methods," Aurine said patiently, "You just chose to meet violence with violence. While on one hand, I am impressed you'd subject yourself to a beating just to get me my lightsaber, I hope I taught you something today."

"Yes, Master," he said respectfully, "though aren't you disappointed in me?"

Aurine laughed, ruffling his hair, "Absolutely not, you should have seen how I reacted to that scenario when I was your age. You performed much better than I did."

His Master placed a hand lightly on his chest, "Now lay down Sascha, I want to show you that I'm more than just a fighter, I'm a Jedi." He laid back and closed his eyes, feeling the aches and pains of his body rather acutely. He can feel his Master using the Force, making herself a conduit so that the healing energy of the Force flowed into him. While she isn't as good at healing as a true Jedi healer, she's more than good enough to make him forget about being tenderized by Luminara just minutes ago.

"I didn't know you were a healer, Master."

Aurine seemed surprised, "You assumed that because I'm known as a fighter that it's the only thing that I am good at?" His cheeks reddened, which produced a laugh from his Master, "Padawan, there is more to me than just a lightsaber and some training. Some of the most rewarding moments of my life have been when I've been able to heal a person in need. Yes, I'm a good fighter and I'm happy to put myself in danger so that others don't have to, but I'm not one-dimensional. How are you at healing, Sascha?"

"I'm okay, I suppose. I mostly get practice healing myself, because as you may have noticed, I tend to get beaten up in these sparring sessions," he said wryly.

"Being able to heal yourself is useful, never discount that, Sascha." He nodded and Aurine continued, "Can I make an observation? You always talk down about your abilities; you rarely speak about how good you are at something. I want to know why you lack confidence; you have much to be confident about."

"I would say that I'm modest," he said doggedly.

"Modesty is good," she said, "But so is being confident in yourself. Remember, you are a Jedi, and I picked you to be my apprentice." Aurine poked him in the chest, "There were many other Jedi that I could have picked, some that you would consider more 'talented' than you. But here you are, my apprentice."

He sat up and considered his Master's words for a long moment, "I've never been all that confident," he admitted finally, "Because was never at the top of the class when it came to using the Force, so I wasn't sure that I had much to be confident about. But, you are right, I've made my goal of becoming a Padawan, and I should take pride in that."

"That is something for you to work on Sascha. For now, I think we should go and get some breakfast, and maybe spend some time doing something a little less physical afterwards so I can give you some time to recover. I think I want to know how good a pilot you are Sascha, your teachers called you one of the best pilots in your age group."

He shot his Master a smile, "You don't have to worry about a lack of confidence in my piloting skills, Master Brynar, I know that I'm a good pilot."

"Ah, but good enough to beat me?" she said, her voice a taunt of its own, "I want to find out. Come on, Padawan."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback - Please feel free to leave a comment. Interacting with readers is one of the reasons I'm posting here. Any critiques are also welcomed!


	13. Days at the Temple

A few days later, Sascha was still getting used to being a Padawan. Everything was just so…different. No longer an Initiate that was on the periphery of events in the Jedi Temple, he was a Padawan, an apprentice on the path to becoming a Jedi Knight. Even simple things like eating dinner in the refectory reminded him of this. To be able to eat in the refectory where the meals were lovingly prepared and served was one thing, being able to see famous Jedi Masters like Even Piell, Jorus C'Baoth and Shaak Ti conversing and debating over dinner was a surreal experience. To think that they were colleagues of his was almost bizarre beyond measure. But they were, he was thrilled to realize.

As an Initiate, he could have approached a Jedi Master for advice if he so chose, but he always knew that on a certain level he was just wasting their time. Now as a Padawan, those same Jedi Masters would actively ask his opinion in the numerous dinnertime debates that occurred in the refectory. At first, he had declined to participate, feeling totally inadequate at the idea of his half-baked thoughts being considered by the wise and august Jedi Masters. But at Aurine's gentle prodding, he had begun to voice his opinion and he was pleased to find that though he was just a very minor, very young Padawan, his opinion was taken seriously.

Mostly, he just liked to sit and absorb the conversations as they happened, he was happier to sit in the background and chime in on occasion, he didn't have the personality or the oratorical skills to take on a larger role in the debates. He was also keen to know what his Master's stance was on the issues being debated, and he was pleased to find that they tended to share the same opinion. It wasn't always the case – he wasn't some sort of sycophant, but more often than not, the Master and Padawan were of the same mind. He thought that it might be a good sign, but really, he had no idea.

Still, he hoped some things would never change.

That was why he was waiting for someone under a Corelian birch tree in the Room of a Thousand Fountains.

With time to spare before their arrival, he meditated lightly, focusing on trying to heal his battered body. Training this week with his Master had been incredibly hard on him and he needed every spare moment he had to heal himself.

Sparring had been a disaster, instead of getting to spar with Nara, someone he could potentially have done okay against, yesterday he had sparred with Aalya Secura, a Padawan that he had competed against as an Initiate. The Twi'lek had been a Padawan for a little more than two years now and was simply on another level than him when it came to combat. Aalya had mercifully ended their disastrous sparring session with a kick that had left him incapacitated for several minutes, but relatively unhurt. He could still remember the look of sympathy that Aalya had given him as he laid on the ground gasping for breath. That wasn't so bad – Aalya had always been better than him, but the disappointed look his Master gave him was something he was having a hard time forgetting.

Even things he normally did well hadn't been going right under Aurine's watchful and demanding eye. It seemed like it was as if he had lost some of the skills he had developed as an Initiate when he became a Padawan. Each of the little setbacks he was taking in training was taking its own mental toll. Deep down he was beginning to wonder if he had what it takes to be a Padawan. If he couldn't handle the training, how could he be expected to handle the world outside of the Jedi Temple?

He was so focused on his inner battle that he failed to notice what brought him to this particular room. He felt someone pulling on his Padawan braid and that brought his meditation to a crashing halt. "Oh, so you are awake, Padawan Whitestar. See, I told you that I'd be calling you that soon," said a taunting, familiar voice.

"You know Tyra, I hate it when you are right," he replied.

"You must spend a lot of time hating then," she replied light-heartedly. Finally, he opened his eyes to see the athletic, brown-haired form of Tyra Harker sitting across from him, a rare playful expression on her face.

"Is that any way to greet a friend who is back from a dangerous mission to Taris?" He smiled and embraced her, pulling her into a hug, which he immediately regretted as his ribs protested angrily at being squeezed.

Tyra sensed that she was hurting him and pulled away quickly, "Training is going well I see," she joked lightly.

"Yeah," he said as he sat down, trying to ignore some of the remaining tightness in his muscles, "I'm being kept well tenderized by my Master's training."

"That was pretty much how it went for me my first few days as a Padawan," Tyra said sympathetically, "Master Nal'ma would just drag me into a sparring dojo, and beat me in a sparring session. It was good for me though, I thought I was sooo good because I was good as an Initiate, he showed me that I was a dreadful Padawan."

"You are more humble now, I guess I know why that is," he observed. There was no doubting that Tyra was a talented Jedi, she had often been the first of their clan to pick up on the Force skills that they had been taught. And when it came to sparring, Tyra was matched by few her age.

Tyra smacked her forehead with her palm, "Silly me, I forgot to ask who your Master is! What brilliant Jedi Knight finally saw your potential?"

"Aurine Brynar."

A look of shock played across Tyra's features, "Aurine Brynar?"

"You know her?"

"Yeah, one of my very first missions I went on with Master Nal'ma we were paired with a young, blonde Jedi Knight named Aurine Brynar. She and Master Nal'ma had some, uh…disagreements of how the mission was to be handled. She was very outspoken in her own way, not at all afraid of speaking her mind despite being paired with a more experienced Jedi like Master Nal'ma. She is certainly not a typical by-the-book Jedi Knight, but I liked her, and I think Master Nal'ma did too. I actually remembered thinking that I would have fit in perfectly as her Padawan, but that was before I learned how to co-exist with Master Nal'ma. You are lucky, Sascha."

"I was born lucky," he remarked drolly, but he was very pleased to know that Tyra had liked his Master when they had met. He was also glad to note that their Masters had worked well together, because he and Tyra had a history of working together it was not out of the realm of possibility that all four of them could be sent on a mission together. Just the mere thought of getting to go on a mission with Tyra was exciting. They had always dreamed of doing so, in fact they had made a pact when they were younger that they would go on 'lots' of missions together, but now it seemed like something that was actually possible, rather than a child's dream.

"We've grown up a lot since our first days here, haven't we?" mused Tyra.

He looked into her brown eyes, "It's good though, we've grown and become so much stronger and wiser from the days we were Initiates."

"Those days were simpler though. Easier in many ways."

"This was always our path though," he said softly.

"I don't disagree," Tyra replied quietly, "It's just that I miss not having you around. You were always my rock, and I miss these conversations." 

"I miss them too, Tyra." The two Padawans looked down, silently reflecting on how much things had changed over the past few years.

Sascha decided that he'd break the silence, "How was your mission to Taris?"

Tyra shrugged casually, "Boring. Not much to talk about, really." She seemed to take a better look at his rather short Padawan braid, "Is that my imagination or does your braid have two ribbons tied into it?"

"You are not mistaken."

Tyra laughed, "I never pegged you for the type to make such a bold fashion statement. I like it though, it gives you a bit of flair. You can be a bit boring at times," she teased.

"And putting ribbons in my hair makes me less boring?"

"It does, it draws the eye and makes you wonder why you have a teal and a green ribbon in your braid." She hesitated, "Whoever braided it did a terrible job, let me do a better one."

"Yeah the person who braided it didn't even have hair, I don't think we can blame her."

Tyra got up and sat behind him, and quietly went to work on un-braiding and then re-braiding his Padawan braid. As much as he liked Nara, it felt right that it was Tyra that the one tying his braid. Tyra was his best friend, someone who had been key in getting him to this rank. Nara was…becoming a good friend, but she would never be Tyra.

Tyra was just about half done fixing his braid when Aurine Brynar sauntered around the corner and spotted them, "Ah, now I see why you aren't answering your comlink, Sascha."

He cursed silently, of all the times for Aurine to walk in, she had to pick the one where he and Tyra were doing something vaguely intimate. He only ever thought of Tyra as his friend, but his Master wouldn't know that. With Tyra still hurriedly putting the finishing touches on his braid, he bowed slightly, "Sorry, Master, I didn't know you needed me."

He was surprised to see that his Master didn't look angry, she looked more entertained than anything, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" she asked.

Finally done with his braid, Tyra stood and bowed politely, "It's good to see you again Master Brynar."

A smile spread across Aurine's face, "It's good to see you too, Padawan Harker. I thought you looked familiar but I couldn't place you." The Jedi Knight motioned that she should sit, and the three of them aligned in a loose triangle, sitting amongst the plants and trees of the Room of a Thousands Fountains.

"So, Tyra, you are the Jedi that distracted Sascha from answering his comlink?"

Tyra glared at him, her usual intense demeanor was back, instead of the friendlier disposition that she saved for when they were alone together, "Unintentional, I assure you."

"Do you have anything to say, Padawan?" prodded Aurine gently.

"I…forgot to turn my comlink on, Master. Usually no one tries to reach me via comlink, and you said I had free time until tomorrow morning."

Aurine nodded easily, "I did, and that is why I am not angry, but Master Shaak Ti was going to give a seminar on conflict mediation that I thought you might find interesting, so I tried to contact you. When I couldn't raise you, I decided to find out where you'd wandered off to."

"Sorry, Master," he mumbled.

His Master turned to Tyra, "Does he always pout when he gets into trouble?"

Tyra smirked, "Sascha rarely got reprimanded by his teachers, so when he does get into trouble, he tends to take it abnormally hard. He was always such a teacher's pet."

"Thank you for the insight Tyra." His Master turned to face him, "I don't mind you making mistakes, as long as you correct them, Sascha. I remember how difficult the transition from Initiate to Padawan was, but I do expect to be able to reach my apprentice at any time. If you had just told me you were with a friend that would have been fine, but don't ignore me, don't make me worry about where you ran off to."

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," he pledged.

Tyra rose from her seated position, "Sorry to do this, but I have to go, I'm so jetlagged from this last mission I'm not even sure what day it is."

"Does it matter what day it is? It's not like we ever get days off," he joked.

Tyra's shoulders slumped, "Can you do me a favour, Master Brynar? Can you beat the sarcasm out of Sascha? I tried, but I was never able to. He's resilient like that."

Aurine cocked her head to the side, "Why would I get rid of something that I enjoy?"

Sasha grinned, "At least someone likes my sense of humour."

"That makes one person so far," teased Tyra, "Spar with me tomorrow?"

He glanced over to his Master, who nodded, "I think that sounds like a good idea."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Sascha, Master Brynar."

Tyra walked away, and Sascha thought that he and his Master might be doing the same, but Aurine indicated that he should continue to sit. "I didn't know you were friends with Tyra Harker," observed his Master.

"I wasn't aware I had to inform you of who my friends were," he said petulantly.

Seeming exasperated, Aurine reached out and grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him gently, "Sascha, you are not in trouble, and I'm not mad, stop acting like you got caught sneaking into somewhere you shouldn't have. Remember, this whole 'being a Master' thing is new to me too."

He stopped himself from apologizing again, he doubted that she wanted to hear more of his apologies. Unfortunately, he couldn't figure out what to say either. Fortunately, his Master rescued him from his bout of awkwardness, "So, you and Tyra seem close."

"We are close. She's my best friend and a clanmate."

"Bonds between clanmates often last for life, I know my clanmates are still my closest friends," remarked Aurine a bit wistfully, "perhaps I wouldn't let them touch me like that, but I don't want to make assumptions."

"Tyra was just helping me with my Padawan braid, I don't know how to braid it yet and…"

"Did you not hear me when I said I didn't want to make assumptions? Do I need to have the talk with you about attachment?"

Sascha could feel his cheeks warming in embarrassment, "No, Master. I know that a Jedi cannot have attachments and I understand why that is. I'm just good friends with Tyra."

Aurine eyed him curiously, "Very well, I believe you Sascha. I'm not making any judgements, I'm just pointing out that you and Tyra clearly have a very strong bond, and you will need to make sure that your friendship does not become attachment." He nodded, trying to keep himself from blushing. It wasn't so much discussing Tyra that embarrassed him, he was just embarrassed about talking about such things. He knew that he found many of the girls his age attractive, but he also knew what was expected of Padawans. No romantic relationships, period. Therefore, he tried not to think about girls too much. It was just easier that way.

His Master was already moving on to another topic though, "I wanted to know how you thought your training was going so far, if there was anything you'd like to focus on or if you have any questions you'd like to ask. As I said before, I'm learning, just like you."

His mind was full of questions, but he wasn't sure they were appropriate questions to ask. He bit his lip and asked one of the more innocuous ones on his mind, "Why did you pick me as your Padawan? I know you said it was because you had that vision and then you changed your mind about me, but I want to know specifically why you picked me, over all the other Initiates."

"Do you need to be told again that you deserve to be a Padawan, Sascha?"

"It's not about not being deserving," he said carefully, "it's about knowing that I was picked to be a Padawan because you saw something in me, not because Luminara wanted me to be a Padawan or you had one vision." He held a hand up to indicate that he was not finished speaking, "I…I'm just struggling so much in these training sessions. I'm doing so badly that I feel completely inadequate. I just think you made a mistake in picking me to be your Padawan," he said, putting his head in his hands. It took all of his remaining composure to stop himself from bursting into tears.

Aurine moved to sit beside him, "Sascha, you put way, way too much pressure on yourself. I don't expect you to be perfect in these training sessions, I just expect you to try your best, which you always do. I know you look around and you see your friends and they are all stronger in the Force than you are, so you think that you aren't good enough by comparison. Look at me." He glanced up, at his Master, her eyes were compassionate, her manner friendly, just a teacher teaching a lesson to her student. "You are a perfectly good Padawan, Sascha. Back when I was a young Jedi, Luminara used to make me look silly in our sparring sessions…she still does actually, but that doesn't make me less of a Jedi. Each Jedi has their own strengths and weaknesses, no one is perfect, not even Master Yoda." Aurine poked him in the side, "What do you think your biggest strength is?"

Sascha wiped his face with the sleeve of his grey robe, "My piloting skills," he said, aware that he hadn't even been as good as his Master in the simulators.

Aurine nodded, "You are indeed a very good pilot, Sascha, but I would suggest your biggest strengths lie elsewhere. I think your biggest strength is your humility, your intelligence and your ability to work with others."

"I thought you said 'biggest strength' not 'biggest strengths.' You cheated, Master."

Aurine laughed and ruffled his hair, which he immediately smoothed back into place. "I think you also need to remember what you told me back when you were trying to get me to be your Master," Aurine closed her eyes, "I believe the exact quote was 'I am a Jedi to my core.' I've come think that it's true Sascha. I just wondered when you stopped believing in it."

"I…" he trailed off, having no good answer. How had a few setbacks in training sapped his confidence so badly? It was completely obvious that Aurine still had confidence in him, just somewhere along the line he had lost confidence in himself. "I'm sorry Master, it's just that I'm used to doing well when I train, that getting destroyed, even in areas that I'm good at, makes me feel like an Initiate again." His mind flashed back to his earlier conversation with Tyra, and realization dawned on him, "You are doing this on purpose, making me doubt myself…you are testing me!"

Aurine grinned, "Very good, my apprentice, that's the intelligence I was talking about earlier. I was wondering when it would show itself. I may not have much experience teaching, but that's not to say that I don't have a few tricks of my own. This past week I made sure that the training was extra hard, so that you would doubt yourself like this. I wanted to see if you would break, you didn't. I'm confident in you, Padawan, but you were still unsure that you deserved to be an apprentice. Now that you've come to grips with the fact that you are a deserving Padawan, I can really begin your training."

"Does this mean the training will get easier?" he asked hopefully.

"Do you want it to get easier?"

He rubbed his chin for a moment, "Actually I don't. I want to learn as much as I can, as fast as I can."

The Jedi Knight placed a comforting hand on his back, "That was the answer I wanted to hear. Remember Padawan, your confidence will only grow over time, and I'll try to give you some, but it has to come from you as well. Know that you deserve to be here, and that I will not have any other Padawan but you. I picked you to be my apprentice and I haven't regretted it for a single moment. Now run along, I'll see you in the morning at the usual time."

He rose and bowed deeply, respectfully, "Yes, Master…thank you." Aurine smiled and made a shooing gesture, and he bounced away, feeling totally drained but wildly happy. He wasn't inadequate, he was just Sascha Whitestar, and he was a Jedi Padawan.


	14. Training, Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are enjoying the story, please feel free to drop a comment or review.

Chapter 16: Training, Part Two

Sascha continued to train with his Master every day at the Temple. Though the pace of the training slowed somewhat, Sascha would never say that training was easy. Aurine varied his training each day, trying to test his capabilities. Some days the training was all physical challenges, whether it be rock climbing for hours on end, swimming laps in the Temple pools until his arms felt like rubber or running an obstacle course. He usually enjoyed physical training, he was in good shape and he was a pretty good athlete. The problem was that he wasn't just doing them on his own, he was trying to keep up with a Jedi Knight and she was faster, tougher, and more skilled than he was.

Aurine had a way of attacking physical challenges that he couldn't even hope to duplicate, she seemed supremely confident in using the Force to overcome any obstacle. She never seemed to slow down, trusting in the Force and her ability to guide herself on the optimal path to complete her challenge. He was much more cautious by nature and preferred to plan out his path before attacking his challenges one at a time. But, to keep up with his Master, he had to move quicker and because of that he found himself stumbling and making uncharacteristic errors. Each of those mistakes tended to add a new cut or bruise to his body, which would have been manageable, had he been given time to heal, but he never managed to find the time to do so.

Combat training was no walk in the park either. As an Initiate, he had dealt with a regimented schedule, so that he always knew when the sparring sessions were and he could prepare himself accordingly. Aurine kept him on a schedule that only seemed to exist in her head, never letting him know what was coming next. Sometimes Aurine would wake him up early in the morning for a sparring match or force him to do blaster deflection skills right after dinner. He never got the chance to be in perfect shape for these drills, and the drills were hard enough without any distractions. His Master often imposed further conditions on him, making him deflect blaster fire blindfolded, or one handed. In one particularly un-fun session, he was forced to go up against a remote without a lightsaber at all, forcing him to avoid the bolts it emitted by pure agility. He ended up being burnt to a crisp after that session.

At least he could say he was doing okay in his sparring sessions. True to her word, Nara had proven to be an excellent sparring partner. The Togruta always 'beat' him, but it was always a session that allowed him to improve in a different way. Nara's friendship had also proven to be an unexpected boon. While his friends from Dragon clan were often away on missions, Nara was usually at the Temple and willing to listen to him vent about his training.

Interspersed with these more 'normal' training sessions were types of training that Aurine claimed that he would use in the 'real world.' She taught him how to track a person, both with the Force and without, and to test him she would ask him to track her across the Temple. The first few times he failed utterly, but as he got more comfortable with the techniques he found some success.

What Sascha enjoyed most though was when the two Jedi would square off over a military strategy game. He had thought that he was a fairly good tactician, he had been one of the best Initiates his age when it came to military strategy, but his new Master had a grasp of military tactics that was far beyond his own. Their encounters in these games often played out like their lightsaber sparring, he preferred defence and counterattacks, and Aurine was fearless attacker. Yet, without fail, no matter how well he prepared his defences, he would find himself on the losing end of the game, with Aurine's attacks managing to find weak points he didn't even know existed.

It was continually sobering to see that even what he perceived as his strengths as an Initiate were nothing when compared to the Jedi Knight. Yet after only a few weeks of training, he could claim to be the equal of Aurine when it came to piloting Starfighters, and was quietly confident that he would soon surpass her. In other areas he was progressing as well, though perhaps not as quickly, but he recognized that he would learn much over his time as a Padawan. Once he figured out that he didn't have to be as good as his Master or his friends at every task, he felt some of the pressure that he put on himself dissipate. If his Master told him he was doing well, he accepted that he was, in fact, doing well. After all, who was he to question his Master?

At night, Sascha usually had time to himself, theoretically he could have used it to do further training, but largely he used it to drop into a healing trance to try to repair the minor scrapes he inevitably accrued during his training. Yet the nighttime was also when he could spend with his friends as they rotated back to the Temple after completing a mission. They were rarely at the Temple for very long, with Jedi being in high demand across the galaxy, but being able to celebrate and spend time with Nara, Doro, Trigg and Tyra gave Sascha more strength and determination to continue than any healing trance possibly could.

Though Sascha was being pushed to his limits on a daily basis, he was pleased by the growing bond that he felt with his Master. Aurine was not at all like the wise, aloof Jedi Knight that he had imagined would be his Master when he was younger, but he quickly realized that she was much better than that. Aurine was equally capable of being a playful, adventuresome, seemingly carefree Jedi Knight or being completely serious and strict, forcing him to repeat tasks until they were done to her exacting specifications. He hardly minded, he was at home in dealing with both sides of her personality. Their personalities just clicked, and he knew that he was very lucky to have such a quick and easy bond with his Master. Many other Padawans were not so fortunate.

One of his favourite moments during his training had come in a sparring session against Tyra. As usual, he was getting the worse end of the exchanges with his best friend, but unlike what usually happened, Tyra had not been able to push through his defences to actually win. He had assumed that Tyra was just humoring him, making him look good under the supervision of his Master who was watching from off to the side. Yet, Tyra's increasing frustration had seemed to indicate that it was not the case.

"You know," Tyra said, "I used to be able to just steamroll you. I'm not sure I like having to push myself to beat you."

"Yes, but this was before I got a hold of him," Master Brynar joked.

"I think Master Luminara gets to take credit for the stoutness of my defences," he said slyly. He had continued to work closely with the Miralian, who was teaching her the Soresu form of lightsaber combat. Aurine observed his sessions with Luminara, but rarely interceded.

"Yes, but I picked you to be my Padawan, so the credit goes to me," Aurine retorted.

Tyra interrupted their conversation by attacking once again. Her blue blade was essentially just a blur, and he knew from experience that if he paid too much attention to her bladework, that she'd use her legs to punish him. Tyra Harker could end a sparring session in a myriad of ways and he'd experienced just about all of them in his fifteen years of living.

He defended stalwartly, relying on the fact that he knew his best friend so well that he was able to guess what she was going to do. When he guessed wrong, his parries became sloppy and that was when Tyra was able to gain a slight advantage.

Pushed backwards, he felt his defences slowly becoming compromised by Tyra, who was starting to figure out how to take advantage of the problems that his defensive technique still had. He played for space and figured it was time to use something that Master Brynar had taught him. He went on the offensive, abandoning his Soresu style for Aurine's Shien and Ataru hybrid style.

He cut high with a strong two-handed strike that caused Tyra to take a surprised step backward and parry close to her left ear. The lightsabers binded and he twisted his wrist to angle his teal blade towards Tyra's body. Too canny for that, Tyra broke the bind and moved away, attempting to reset to a neutral position. Not wanting to give her the time, he kept his left hand on this lightsaber and lunged at Tyra, using his teal blade like a rapier. She batted that away, but he kept up the pressure, using one hand on his lightsaber and attacking in an intricate pattern, one that his Master had drilled into him for the past week.

Tyra continued to retreat, completely focused on defending his blade and this opened her up for a successful attack. He stepped forward and dropped down low, using the change of levels to strike at Tyra's legs. Sweeping his leg forward, he caught both of Trya's legs at almost the exact same time, spilling her awkwardly to the ground.

He was so stunned to see Tyra on the ground that he forgot to take advantage. By the time he managed to swing his blade around towards her prone form, she had already reacted, pushing him away with a weak Force push that gave her space to scramble to her feet.

Tyra held up a hand and deactivated her lightsaber. He straightened up, smoothed out his tunic, and deactivated his blade as well. "That was a clever attack Sascha. Would you mind showing me how it works?"

He'd was so shocked by that simple request that his jaw must have about hit the floor. Off to the side, his Master stifled a laugh, "Don't look so shocked Padawan, you did learn that pattern from me. Now go teach Tyra the pattern, I'll be waiting for you in the refectory." His Master offered a friendly wave to the two Padawans and then exited the sparring room.

After Aurine left, Tyra smiled at him, "You know, usually this is me teaching you the move that just beat you."

"I know, I can't really believe it either."

"Next time, be sure to complete your victory instead of standing there like a doofus."

"Duly noted."

"Okay," she said reigniting her lightsaber, "Now show me the pattern again. Let's see if I can defend it this time."

He obliged her, going through the pattern as quickly as he could. Once again, he was able to sweep her legs out from under her. Tyra's look of shock at again being deposited on the ground even knowing what was coming would be etched in his mind for years to come. She sat there looking up at him in disbelief, when he quickly slashed his lightsaber across her wrist.

"Son of a Murglak" she swore, rubbing the spot where she had been burned.

"You told me to complete my victory next time. I was just heading your instructions."

"Yeah, well…" Grinning, Tyra got up and tackled him to the ground. She pinned his right arm to the ground, but he was savvy enough to roll away from her and get back to his feet. Tyra tried to keep a hold of his wrist, but he was able to break the hold.

Playfully, Tyra got into a deep crouch as if they were doing wrestling practice. Deciding that he was still young enough to engage his best friend in a little playful combat, he joined her. For a couple of minutes they tested their strength against each other, trying to get each other off balance and corral them to the floor. Tyra was stronger than he was in the Force by a good margin, but he was slightly stronger physically. All in all it turned out to be an even match.

Breaking off from her latest attempt to get him to the ground, Tyra flopped dramatically on to her back, letting her arms and legs fall akimbo, "Ugh, I can't even out wrestle you anymore, what is the galaxy coming to?"

He lay beside her, a comfortable enough distance away, "It's as shocking to me as it is to you, I assure you."

Tyra guffawed, "I'm happy to see you doing so well, Sascha. I can tell how happy you are, and your improvement is coming from that."

"Thanks Tyra. It feels like a large weight was lifted off me when I became a Padawan. I'm still trying to figure things out, but I feel at peace again, like I did when we were all together as Initiates."

"We'll never stop being a family though," she said quietly.

"Never."

Tyra turned her head towards him and smiled. He smiled back. It was a smile between best friends, a smile between two people who knew each other almost as well as they knew themselves. Tyra Harker and Sascha Whitestar were not a family in any sort of traditional sense, but they didn't particularly care. They would always be family to each other.

Tyra broke off her smile to point at the door, "Didn't your Master say that she'd meet you in the refectory? That was like ten minutes ago."

"Oh Kriff!" He jumped up and sprinted for the door, the sound of Tyra's mirthful laughter ringing in his ears.

Two Months Later, The Jedi Temple, Coruscant.

Sascha awoke at his usual time in the early morning. He hopped out of bed and was greeted by a shout of pain from his right knee. He sighed to himself. It had been a long couple of months of training, never getting a day off and his body was starting to fail him. He had been determined to overcome them, to be slowed down by them, but he was reaching the end of his rope. While his knee was currently giving him the most trouble, his right shoulder was also bruised, courtesy of Nara unceremoniously depositing him on the ground yesterday.

He used the Force to probe the injury, he could tell that no serious damage had been done but he needed a day…or a week of rest to ensure that it was back to one hundred percent. That was not an option currently available to him. Sighing, he left his room and tried his best to hide his limp.

Aurine was sitting in her usual spot in the refectory, munching on her breakfast, a collection of brightly coloured fruits. Feeling his Master's eye on him, he walked straighter, ignoring the shout of protest from his knee. Walking to the front counter where the meals were laid out, he grabbed the first acceptable meal that he saw and took his customary seat across from his Master. The two Jedi often did not speak to each other during the morning meal, at one point he had assumed that Aurine was ignoring him, but after a while came to accept that Aurine Brynar just liked to have her morning meal in peace, and the best thing that he could do as her Padawan was let her.

Aurine finished her meal, and waited for Sascha to finish his before speaking, "Padawan, do you think I'm blind, stupid or both?"

Sascha was taken aback, "Excuse me, Master?"

Aurine shook her head, "Do you really think that you can hide your injury from me?"

He bit his lip, he'd thought he'd done a good job of hiding his injury from her, "It's not a big deal, Master, I just tweaked my knee yesterday. It's fine. I'm ready to train today."

She sighed in disappointment "Sascha, give me a little credit, I know I'm not exactly the best healer in the Jedi Temple, but I can tell when the person I've spent every day with for the last two months is in pain."

He looked downward, he knew better than to lie to his Master. "Master, I request the day off, I injured my leg yesterday in training and it needs time to heal."

"Was that really so hard to admit?"

Sascha shook his head, "Of course not, I just…I wanted to prove how tough I am, how I'm not letting your lessons get the best of me."

Aurine smiled, "Sascha, you may think you are hiding your injuries, but you can't fool me, I'm older and wiser than you are. I acted much like you did when I started training under my Master. I wanted to prove to her that I was a tough young Padawan, capable of being taken on a mission. So, I was not especially surprised to see you trying to do the exact same thing."

"You…weren't?"

Aurine's eyes danced in amusement, "I know that three weeks ago you sprained your wrist. You wouldn't admit it so you decided to wield your lightsaber with your left hand for a few days. Very subtle. I know that a week after that you fell so hard on your side that your ribs were probably bruised…shall I go on?"

He felt like a complete and utter idiot at that moment, sometimes he forgot that his Master was a full Jedi Knight, and though she was only in her twenties, she was far wiser and more experienced than he was. "If you knew that I was hurting, why didn't you tell me to take a day off?" he asked.

Aurine's eyes twinkled, "I wanted to see how tough you were." Master Brynar got stern again quickly, "Sascha, it is one thing to try to impress me with your toughness, and I am, for the record. It is another to try to conceal real injuries from me. I can pay attention to them now because we aren't on a mission and I don't have anything better to do with my time than track the ways that my Padawan is planning to deceive me. But if we are on a mission and you are hurt, you need to tell me so I can make the best decisions; I need to be able to trust in you that you will tell me if something is wrong."

He felt himself bowing his head unintentionally, "I will Master. I trust you completely; I should have been more forthcoming."

She gave him a nod, "You have the rest of the day off, if I see you walking around to anywhere but the refresher, I'm not going to be pleased. There will be a special test for you tomorrow, and I don't want my Padawan to be too injured for it."

"A special test?"

His Master gave him a conspiratorial look, "Yes, a special test, but I cannot reveal anything about it at this time. Now go and rest up, Sascha."

"You know if you were really concerned about my well-being you could help me back to my room," Sascha said with a sly grin.

Aurine gave him a look of mock-seriousness and said, "Go, before I change my mind."

As he limped back to his room concealing a tiny grin, he caught his Master giving him a rueful shake of her head.


	15. A Master's Master/Excursions

The next day, Sascha was feeling much better; his knee was not at one hundred percent but it was at least reasonably close to it. At lunchtime, he was still attempting to figure out what his Master's special test would be. He had his theories, but he knew that they were probably wrong.

Right now, it didn't matter, he was enjoying his braised bantha ribs, while his Master was almost finished her salad. "I haven't told you much about my Master have I?" asked Aurine apropos of nothing. He thought that his Master didn't tell him much of anything about her past, sure there were some stories or anecdotes shared here or there, but Master Brynar clearly preferred to not reveal too much about herself. He didn't mind, he was learning at a fast rate and there were years and years of his apprenticeship still to come, there was lots of time for stories to be told, and there would be stories of their own that they would create.

"No Master, I can't say that you've said much about yourself when you were younger, or who your Master was."

"Alright then, I guess I'll be doing a little bit of storytelling this morning."

She began, "This may surprise you, but when I was young, I was a bit of a troublesome student," she smiled sheepishly to herself, "I was overconfident, overzealous and far too carefree. It was not a particularly good combination of traits to have in a young Jedi Initiate. I was called into a meeting one day when I was thirteen with Master Yoda. He told me that I had the choice of becoming the Padawan to Jedi Master Nova Trynith, or leaving the Jedi Order entirely. He said, in no uncertain terms that this was my last chance to become a Padawan. It should have been a wake-up call for me, but I was a bit of a dunderhead."

Aurine blushed slightly as she continued her story, "I obviously chose becoming a Padawan. What I didn't know about Nova Trynith was that she specialized in dealing with difficult apprentices like me. Master Trynith is a Zeltron, but she may be the most unique Zeltron in the galaxy."

"Unique In what way Master?"

"I think you'll understand when you meet her," she said enigmatically before continuing, "Zeltrons are a people that typically are very much interested in the pursuit of pleasure, they are often stereotyped as lazy partiers and certainly Zeltros, their home planet, is one of the biggest party spots in the galaxy. Master Trynith is the exact opposite of that. She's very detail-orientated and exacting. She also very much believes in following the will of the Force over the will of the Jedi Council, which doesn't make her too popular with…well…anyone to be honest. It took her quite a few years to turn me from a wayward Initiate into a useful young Padawan, but eventually she did."

"She was not the easiest Master to have. Even after I corrected my wayward ways, we didn't really ever become friends. Nova isn't even the easiest person to be around, but she may have been the only Jedi that could have salvaged me. We…do not have the sort of relationship that you and I have, Sascha, but I want you to understand that I still hold great respect for my Master. It is only because she saw in me what others did not that I'm sitting in front of you today as a Jedi Knight."

He grinned, "It's hard to see you as a troublemaker, Master."

Aurine looked somewhat abashed, "Yes, well now you know one of the many reasons I chose you to be my Padawan, you may not be the most skilled Jedi in the Temple, but at least I don't have to teach you how to be a Jedi like Master Trynith had to teach me. I didn't want to deal with anyone that reminds me of my younger self, that person is gone, buried and will never return, I promised myself that."

Sascha paused at these revelations, it was certainly a lot to take in, he wanted to think of his Master as a paragon of Jedi ideals, but just like him, she was a real person with flaws. His hero worship having taken a crushing blow, he asked an obvious question, "Why did you want to share this story today Master?"

Aurine sighed heavily, "Master Trynith does not come to the Temple often. She does not like Coruscant, nor does she place much faith in the Jedi Council, so she only comes to the Temple when she wants something. She is coming today, and I don't know why. She has promised to give us a test, but beyond that…it could be anything."

"A test? What kind of test?" he asked, noting the term 'us.'

Aurine paused and considered the question, "I have some ideas for what it will be, but that is not for me to reveal." As if on cue, her comlink beeped, "Come Padawan, it is time to meet my old Master."

Sascha thought that they would meet Nova Trynith in one the hangar bays as she arrived, but Aurine made her way to the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and found a specific spot that Sascha could only assume had some particular meaning to Aurine and her former Master. While the two waited for the new arrival, Sascha was slightly unsettled by the minor unease he could sense from his Master, who was usually assured and confident. Was Master Brynar nervous about this? And why? It was just meeting her old Master.

For his part, he was trying to figure out the best way to make a good first impression on Nova Trynith. Master and Padawan duos often worked together after the Padawan reached the rank of Jedi Knight, after all it would be a bit crazy to discard the years of experience gained from working together, so it was possible that Master Trynith could factor quite heavily in his path to Jedi Knighthood.

Even after being warned about Nova Trynith's appearance, Sascha was still dumbstruck by his first impression of her. While she was certainly not in her youth anymore, Nova Trynith had the look of an ageless beauty. Like all Zeltrons, she had red skin, hers was a pleasant crimson shade, which combined well with her arresting green eyes. However, as if she was aware by her obvious beauty, she had her black hair cut unflatteringly short and she wore perhaps the most modest set of Jedi robes that he had ever seen. He was so staggered by the incongruity that he realized that he was missing the opening introductions. "…this is my Padawan, Sascha Whitestar," said his Master.

Sascha bowed respectfully, "An honor to meet you, Master Trynith."

The Zeltron nodded at his words, but otherwise ignored him. "So Master, what brings you to Coruscant today?" asked Aurine.

The Zeltron spoke in a clipped, academic tone, "You, of course, my former apprentice, it has been two months since you have selected your Padawan, and you have not yet undertaken a mission. Illuminate me as to why this is."

Master Brynar's discomfort seemed palpable, "I've been training my new Padawan, Master."

Nova Trynith raised a cultured eyebrow, "Is not the most important part of training the undertaking of missions, and the demonstration of how a proper Jedi acts in public?"

"Certainly Master, but I have been waiting for the right time…."

Aurine trailed off, and the crimson Zeltron picked up her thoughts, "You are unsure that he is ready for a mission."

Aurine gave her head a vehement shake, "No, Master Trynith, it has nothing to do with Sascha, and everything to do with me, I'm afraid that I am not ready to take on a mission with an apprentice."

The Zeltron paced like a professor in front of a particularly stubborn student, "A reasonable fear to have Aurine, for when you have a Padawan you must not only think of yourself and the success of the mission but also the Padawan. This is a fear that only gets conquered when you place your faith in the Force and that you accept that whatever happens is the will of the Force." Nova sighed, "But you never were much of a believer in that particular tenant of Jedi philosophy. Fine, I will show you that you are both ready for a mission."

Nova then turned to him, "I have much to discuss with your Master, Padawan. Meet us at the front entrance to the Temple in an hour, be dressed to be in public." Sascha acknowledged the dismissal with a curt nod and made his exit.

An hour later, Sascha rejoined Aurine and Nova at the front entrance of the Jedi Temple. Added to his normal gray Jedi robe was a simple brown travelers' cloak, which would help conceal his identity as a Jedi. Similarly clad in travelers' cloaks, the three Jedi looked nothing more than three normal denizens of Coruscant, just three of the teeming multitude of the trillion different beings on the planet. Despite the cold reception he had gotten from Master Trynith, Sascha was excited to get the opportunity to leave the Temple and see the world outside of it. He had never been too far from the Temple, he had only gotten to visit famous landmarks like the Senate Building, and even then he had never been too far from the watchful eyes of his guides.

Upon his arrival at the front entrance, Nova led the Jedi out of the Temple, down the ancient steps and into the street levels of Coruscant. With the older Jedi remaining silent, he decided that he would be silent as well. He kept busy by scanning his surroundings with the Force and his eyes, looking out for anything that might require attention. Though he felt innumerable different emotions from the crowd of beings on the street, he could detect nothing that was remotely interesting or out of place.

As the group walked further and further away from the Temple, he began to wonder where Nova was leading the group to, figuring that maybe he was about to learn about the potential 'special test' that he had been promised. The Jedi made their way towards some of the lower levels of Coruscant, leaving the obvious wealth of the top level for more middle class surroundings of the subsurface levels. He knew that the lower you went on Coruscant, the worse off things got. The lowest levels of Coruscant were barely inhabitable.

At last Nova broke the silence, "Padawan, we are giving you an assignment. Your instructions are as follows, nearby there is a cantina called the Hollow Laser, you will enter that establishment and collect five facts, not opinions, not guesses, facts. Unless your life is in direct danger, do not reveal that you are a Jedi. You will enter first, and we will enter a few minutes later, but you are not to acknowledge us, we are only there for your safety. Do you understand?"

"I do, Masters," he replied. He hesitated for a split second, almost asking if this was the test that Aurine had promised him, before deciding that a good Padawan shouldn't question the orders of a Jedi Master. He slowly walked away from Nova and Aurine, feeling his Master sending him a bit of encouragement in the Force.

Sascha only had to walk for a minute before he found the Hollow Laser. From the outside, it looked…well…awful. The florescent yellow sign that was out front was missing a couple of letters, and the door looked like it was coated in grime. Looks can be deceiving, he reminded himself. Taking a deep breath, he strode into the cantina.

His first impression of the place was that the inside looked worse than the outside. The Hollow Laser was not a very big cantina, it was sparsely furnished and what furnishings it did have looked like they had been acquired at Corsuscant's cheapest thrift store. There were only a few patrons and none of them turned to see him as he entered. Frozen for a second by indecision, he wondered if he had misread the sign out front. Master Trynith couldn't have sent him here, could she?

Then, making up his mind, he made his way to the bar, which was deserted, even though he felt totally out of place as a fifteen year old. He decided that this was the test that Nova was setting him, a Padawan was always supposed to follow his Master's orders, even if they didn't make sense to him at the moment. Now was his moment to prove that he was truly a Padawan.

After a moment of waiting, the bartender, a tall, bored looking Duros in a dirty gray and green uniform finally acknowledged his existence. The Duros gave him an evaluating look, "Are you sure you are old enough to be here young one?"

There was no drinking age on Coruscant, Sascha knew, but bartenders were encouraged to keep youth away from drinking any alcoholic beverages without parental permission. "My credits say I'm old enough to be here," he said as he splashed a few of the credits that Master Brynar had given him onto the bar.

The bartender looked like he might object to serving him but chose not to, "What will it be?"

That question gave him pause. What does one order in a place such as this? The instruction at the Jedi Temple was long on galactic history and politics, but short on information on what fifteen year olds ordered in cantinas. Deciding on a strategy, he pushed the credits on the bar towards the Duros, "It's up to you, friend, make me your specialty."

The Duros stared at him for a long moment, clearly surprised, but he got to work making a drink, "You always come into places like this and start flashing creds around?"

"It's not something I make a habit of, no. But I finally escaped my parents for a couple of hours today, so I decided to come to the one place they would never look for me." Sascha thought that was a pretty good lie, because most of it was actually true.

"I think we've all been there…but maybe we didn't have that sort of money to throw around either," said the bartender

"Creds earned from hard work at school, not sure I thought I'd end up spending them here, but fate is a funny thing sometimes. At least I'm getting to spend them."

The Duros, seemingly bored again, agreed, "I'm just happy that someone is spending credits here at all." Done with preparing his drink, the Duros planted a tall glass in front of him. The concoction was exotic looking, the liquid inside was constantly changing colours, from red, to blue, to brown, to gold. He had never seen anything like it before, and it made him question whether it was safe to drink. He decided that perhaps he should err on the side of caution...then again it would be odd if he ordered a drink and then left it full. "What is this?" he asked.

"It has a real name, but its colloquially called Hazardous Waste around here."

"Charming name. Is it…uh…alcoholic?"

The Duros leaned over the bar, "Is this your first time drinking alcohol, young one?"

He blushed, "Um…yeah."

The Duros grinned, revealing teeth that could have really used a good cleaning, "Well, usually it comes with alcohol, but I decided to make a special version, just for you."

Sascha used the Force, trying to figure out if the Duros was deceiving him, but the bartender seemed honest enough about his intentions. He tried a cautious sip of his drink. The liquid tumbled down his throat easily, and it had an almost fruity taste. The aftertaste was a bit more bitter than he had expected, but he nodded at the bartender, "This is very good, thank you."

Pleased, the Duros returned his attention to the holoscreens that were showing some sort of sporting event.

He took another tiny sip, using that as a cover to look around the cantina surreptitiously. He counted around ten patrons in the bar, mostly non-human and all very…tough looking. Taking another look around, he noted something quite disconcerting – each person in the cantina, including the bartender, appeared to be armed. Some were displaying their weapons openly, some weapons were cleverly hidden under clothing, but all were armed. Subconsciously, his hand moved down to his lightsaber, ensuring to himself that it was still there, but also checking that it was hidden from view. Master Trynith had specifically said that he was not to reveal himself as a Jedi, and having a lightsaber on your belt was a surefire way to be identified as a one.

He was starting to wonder what kind of establishment this was supposed to be. It was clearly a rough and tumble sort of place, the patrons here seemed to be the type that couldn't afford to drink anywhere better. But why was it on one of the more middle-class levels or Coruscant? This seemed like a place that would not have been out of place twenty levels deeper into the bowels of the planet. The amount of weapons in the cantina was disconcerting as well. Coruscant, especially in these areas, was fairly safe – no one needed the sort of weaponry these beings were packing.

Still considering his dilemma, he was surprised by the appearance of a middle-aged, rough looking human who sat on the stool next to him. "Who is the youngling?" he asked the Duros. "Is he the entertainment tonight?"

"I doubt I'd be very entertaining," Sascha replied.

"Well, do you sing or dance?"

"Both, but not well."

The stranger guffawed, and slapped him on the back, "Well that sounds like entertainment enough to me!"

Sascha didn't quite know what to do in this situation, so he put his head down and concentrated on sipping his drink, hoping to be left alone. He made a note to himself to never go to another cantina again without a very good reason to do so.

The older human appeared to lose interest in him, flagging down the bartender with a grandiose arm wave, "Hey Junip, put on the smashball game."

"Only if you order a drink first," replied the Duros, who folded his arms across his chest "The last four times you were in here you didn't order anything. This is a cantina, not a library, you don't get to stay here for free."

"I'm just between jobs for the moment, Junip. Can't a guy just get the smashball game on the holoscreen? It's not like anyone here is going to object," he said waving at the rest of the run down cantina.

"No. Order something first, then I'll put on the game."

"But I can't afford it," the man muttered, he almost seemed to deflate in front of Sascha's eyes. Cautiously he used the Force to probe the man's emotions. He was sad, depressed even, and Sascha could tell that he really wanted to watch the game.

"I'd like to see the smashball game too," Sascha ventured cautiously.

The older man perked up immediately, "You heard the youngling, Junip. Put on the game!"

The Duros kept his hands folded across his chest, "Which game, young one?" he asked.

"Uh…which ever game he wants to watch," he said, jerking a thumb at the man sitting beside him.

Junip sighed heavily, "I knew I shouldn't have yet the youngling in," he muttered. The Duros grabbed a remote and starting pushing buttons. After a few moments later, one of the holoscreens changed and showed a scoreboard that said 'Sullust Assassins vs. Naboo Rebels.' Sascha realized at that moment that he had no idea the rules of smashball were.

"Thanks for that," said the middle-aged man beside him, extending a hand in greeting.

Sascha shook it, "No problem."

"I'm Shelp Elks by the way."

"Sascha Whitestar."

"You go to school around here, Sascha?" Shelp asked.

"Uh, yeah," he replied. He hoped desperately that Shelp was just asking a friendly get-to-know-you question, because his ability to lie convincingly about being a normal kid was poor at best.

"I didn't think they still taught kids manners anymore. I guess I was wrong." Shelp squinted at him, "You really don't know the first thing about smashball, do you?"

"I think I played it in physical fitness class one time," he said unconvincingly.

Shelp frowned, and he wondered if he had just made a critical error. Could you even play smashball in fitness class? Had he managed to blow his cover within five minutes of sitting down? Blessedly, the arrival of his Master and Nova Trynith interrupted the potential interrogation. The eyes of nearly every male patron in the cantina stared at the new arrivals, and he couldn't really understand why. Did everyone really feel the need to ogle the two females in their unflattering brown cloaks?

Nova glanced around the room, as if challenging anyone to come up and try their luck. Sascha felt himself glancing downward. The Zeltron intimidated him he was not too proud to admit. Finally, after a long moment where you could have heard a pin drop, Nova and Aurine grabbed a table in the corner and sat down.

"Here comes trouble," noted the Duros, who had saddled in close to him and Shelp.

"Them?" he asked, trying to sound incredulous.

Shelp shot Sascha a look, putting his arm around him in a friendly gesture, "Don't let their looks fool you; those two are as tough as they come. A few years back the younger one started a brawl that involved nearly every being in the place. Those two must have taken on five or six people at a time, was pretty impressive to watch actually. The Zeltron was kind enough to pay for the damages, such as they were." Shelp laughed, "as if you could damage a run-down shack like this." Shelp glanced at the Duros bartender, "You still think they work for the Hutts?"

The Duros reacted with an indifferent gesticulation, "Could be, I'm not of a mind to go up to them and ask, I remember what happened last time, I'm a bartender, not a bouncer."

Sascha was fighting to keep the amusement out of his expression, the idea of Aurine and Nova in a barfight in this out of the way cantina was incongruous and hilarious, the idea that they were working for the Hutts was even more comical. He would have to relay that comment to Master Brynar, perhaps after Master Trynith departed, somehow he did not think that the Zeltron would find it as humorous as Aurine would.

His drink half-done, he was wondering when it would be time to leave. Not that he was itching to leave, he was enjoy his little excursion, even to this dank part of the planet. Beside him, Shelp was yelling animatedly at the smashball game, which did seem somewhat interesting he had to admit. Though he was baffled at why Shelp was yelling at the holoscreen, the game was being played on Naboo, it wasn't as if the players could hear him…

He continued to pass the time, carrying on a conversation with Shelp during the breaks in the game. As his drink slowly emptied, he glanced back at his Master surreptitiously, waiting for when he would receive the signal to leave. A few minutes later he felt a subtle nudge in the Force from his Master. When he turned his head around he saw the two older Jedi leaving their booth. A few minutes later he followed, bidding Shelp a fond farewell.


	16. A Lesson Delivered

After Sascha exited the Hollow Laser, he searched for and easily found the unobtrusive cloaked figures that were waiting for him just a few metres away. He mentally prepared himself to present the five facts that he was to give to Master Trynith. While in theory he could have mentioned five easy facts like the name of his friend at the bar and what type of drink he had, he didn't think that was what Nova had in mind. Considering that this was his 'test', he intended to ace it.

Nova led the team of Jedi silently away from the cantina and as they casually strolled, the Jedi Master asked, "Did you complete my assignment? Do you have the five facts I asked for?"

He started ticking off his five points on his fingers, "One, Every patron in the Hollow Laser was armed in some way, unless you count that Gammorean in the back, but Gammoreans are weapons enough as is. Two, the bartender knew that you and Aurine have been to the Hollow Laser before. Three, both the bartender and Shlep Elks believed that you were sent by the Hutts to keep tabs on them." Aurine snorted at that remark, but he ignored her and continued, "Four, the first time that both of you were at the Hollow Laser Master Brynar instigated a fight."

Aurine smiled ruefully, "In fairness there was a repugnant looking Rodian hitting on me, he got what was coming to him."

Nova spoke with a cool tone that brooked no argument, "He could have actually been hitting you and you should not have responded as you did."

Aurine shrugged, "I know that now, back then I didn't know much of anything."

Sascha noted the disapproving look from Nova and then finished his list "Fifth, and finally, the Hollow Laser is a hangout for bounty hunters, smugglers and their ilk."

Master Trynith gave Sascha a frosty stare, "Is that something that you know for a fact, or an opinion?"

Sascha held the Zeltron's gaze, "It's a fact, Master Trynith." The amusement and pride that he could feel from his Master told him that he had answered correctly. It had been a guess, but all the evidence seemed to fit.

Master Trynith merely gave Sascha a nod indicating that he had been correct, "If you would be so kind to lead us back to the Temple, Padawan."

That request stopped the Padawan in his tracks. He'd made it a priority to remember how they reached the Hollow Laser so that he could easily find his way back to the Temple by retracing his steps. But after leaving the cantina, he'd not reoriented himself, and he had been so set on answering Master Trynith's question, that he hadn't been paying attention to where they had been walking. Panic gripped him, he knew that he should have been attentive to where he was going, he simply had forgotten. He cursed under his breath, and hung his head, "Sorry Masters, I cannot, I do not know where we are."

Nova sniffed derisively, "Surely a Jedi should always be aware of his surroundings."

"He should. I have no excuse, Masters."

"It's one of the few times he's ever left the Temple, Master Trynith, it is normal to be slightly out of sorts," said Aurine, leaping to the defence of her Padawan.

"That is your defence Aurine? Any Padawan should know better, and certainly a Padawan trained by you should know better." Nova's cool, clipped tone made it clear how she felt about the matter.

Nonetheless, Aurine rose doggedly to Sascha's defence, "You've made your point now Master, no need to belabour it."

Nova looked like she might want to continue the argument but simply opted for an uncomfortable silence as the Jedi made their way back to the surface levels and the Jedi Temple. Sascha was annoyed at himself for not only failing himself, but failing his Master. Grimly, he promised himself that it would not happen again.

As they arrived back at the Temple, Nova announced, "I will test the Padawan's lightsaber skills now, hopefully I will not be disappointed again."

Sascha swallowed hard, he didn't think that sparring with against a Jedi Master that was determined to test him would end well for him. While he had more confidence about his skills with a lightsaber than he had ever had, the title of Jedi Master was not one that the Jedi Council handed out lightly.

As the three Jedi found an empty sparring room, Sascha and Nova began warming up. While he was stretching, Aurine wandered casually over to him. "Why is she testing me like this?" he asked his Master quietly.

Aurine adopted a faraway look, "I'm not sure. I'm not even sure if she is testing you or she is testing me."

"Such wonderful insight, Master," he remarked bitterly, "Just remember to take me to the halls of healing after she renders me unconscious."

"Now now, Sascha," his Master chided patiently, "She's a Jedi Master, not a bully."

He hung his head, disappointed in his petulance, "Sorry, Master. I'll do my best."

"You always do," she said with a hint of pride in her voice. He offered her a weak smile and she turned and headed towards the side of the room.

He looked across to see Nova igniting her blue blade, "Are you ready to begin Sascha?"

He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt, staring at it for a moment before getting up from his crouch and igniting his teal blade, "Yes, Master Trynith." He entered a typical guard stance, and waited for Nova to make the first move.

The Zeltron started slow, offering to start with a simple pattern, one that every Jedi learned when starting to get a handle of how to use a lightsaber. Sascha moved to parry, feeling muscle memory take over, calming his jangling nerves. Nova repeated the pattern again a little quicker than before, again he parried easily.

Nova stepped back, appraising him, before she pointed her lightsaber directly at him and charged directly at him. Worriedly, he stepped to the side and used his blade to push Nova's aside. The Jedi Master nodded, "Good. Always remember to parry the blade and set up for your next move." Sascha hadn't realized that he was setting up his next move, he had just been getting out of the way of a charging Jedi Master.

The Zeltron approached again and he held his ground, his blade positioned defensively. He decided that he wasn't going to try to attack Nova, he was merely going to see how long his defences would hold. The Jedi Master obliged him moving in close behind a couple of quick feints. True to his preferred form of combat, Soresu, he kept his body quiet, making few moves that weren't directly correlated with blocking the blue blade coming towards him.

Nova backed off and twirled her blade with a grace that was rather intimidating before darting in with a quick movement. Surprised a bit by the swift foray, he had to re-align his feet and prod the lightsaber away. The Zeltron transitioned into a pattern, using her blade to attack both his legs and his head. Sascha recognized the pattern and kept pace. Yet, when Nova seemed to realize this, she aborted the pattern and improvised a left-handed palm strike that hit him square in the chest and dropped him to his knees.

"Get. Up." said Nova in a frosty tone.

"Master, is this really necessary?" said Aurine from the corner of the room.

"Its fine, Master," he said as he got to his feet again. He had been more stunned than actually hurt by Nova's blow. It was an expertly delivered strike, one that would briefly incapacitate an opponent, but didn't actually hurt that much. He got to his feet and put his blade back into a guard position. Nova nodded in approval and came in on the attack again.

The rest of the sparring session played out in much the same way. He'd be able to hold his own for a few moments before Nova would do something unexpected and she would be able to defeat his defences.

Finally, after what felt like half an hour later, but was probably more like five minutes after it started, Nova hit him with a last paralyzing blow. Her boot connected with his chest and it felt like he flew a least a foot in the air before hitting the ground. He hit the ground back first, being careful to make sure that his head didn't hit the floor of the sparring room – even though the floor was padded, it wasn't the best idea to have your head hit the floor if you could avoid it.

By the time he as able to recover his wits, he was staring up at a brilliant blue blade that was pointed dangerously at his chest. He put his hands up in a gesture of surrender and shook his head slowly, "Solah, Master Trynith. I surrender." While he probably could have gotten to his feet again, his will to fight the Zeltron was near zero. He had never thought that he was Nova's equal when it came to combat, and the last few minutes had only proved that beyond a reasonable doubt.

Nova kept her blade pointed at him for a moment or two longer, before disengaging her blade and walking away. Sascha let his head fall softly to the floor, brushing sweat away from his eyes. Not since his days as an Initiate had he been destroyed so comprehensively in a sparring session. Unlike previously, his confidence wasn't affected, he was just sobered to see just how much better the Jedi Master was than even his own Master.

Sascha slowly picked himself up and saw that Aurine and Nova were in conversation. "He does not fight like you Aurine," Nova observed, "I see that he prefers Soresu, rather than your more aggressive style."

Aurine nodded, "I felt it better to work on a form of lightsaber combat like Soresu that fits his personality and skill set rather than teach him my much more attacking style."

The Zeltron nodded curtly, "A practical decision, he is reasonably skilled on the defensive for someone of his age and ability." Sascha wondered at how she could consider his defence to be 'reasonable.' After all she had had just demolished it repeatedly over the last few minutes. He said nothing, however.

"He is scrappy and unrefined, but does show some promise," Nova announced.

He wondered if that was supposed to be a compliment. Aurine seemed to make note of that as well, "How kind of you to notice, Master," she replied in a sarcastic tone. Sascha felt like he was being discussed as though he was a prize piece of livestock, it was in many ways a humbling experience.

"I would like a few minutes to talk to Sascha alone," said Master Trynith.

A look of confusion passed over Aurine's face, but she bowed politely and exited the room.

Sascha simply stood in a polite and deferential manner and waited for Nova to address him. He assumed that this was going to be another test, so he was trying to prepare himself for that. The crimson-skinned Zeltron turned to him and extended an arm. By pure instinct, he turned away from it, realizing too late that she had merely wanted to put a friendly arm on his shoulder. To his surprise, the Zeltron only smiled, "I suppose I deserved that."

"I…no…I must apologize Master Trynith," he stammered.

"You are a very polite Padawan for your age," observed the Zeltron.

He decided he'd accept the compliment, "Thank you, Master Trynith."

The Zeltron sat down lightly and indicated that he should sit as well. Obliging her, he sat down across from her. The Zeltron really was beautiful, he decided. She wasn't really his type, being probably in her fifties, but the contrast between her obvious attractiveness and her stern disposition was something he was still getting used to.

"I actually need to offer you my thanks," said Nova.

"Uh…may I ask why?"

Nova's expression didn't change, but the Jedi Master seemed friendlier now than she had been earlier, "You know how I came to be Aurine's Master?" He nodded. Nova shifted in her seated position and continued, "I had been contacted by the Temple saying that they had another 'difficult' apprentice for me to take, a Togruta named Nara Nalto. Then a week later, after I had made all the preparations to make a trip to Coruscant, the Temple contacted me again and said that I would not be needed and Nara was no longer considered a 'difficult apprentice.' I asked what caused the change, and they replied that a Jedi named Sascha Whitestar that had helped Nara change her ways. Imagine my surprise when later that day when my apprentice contacted me and said that she had a Padawan and his name was Sascha Whitestar."

"I don't know if I can take all the credit for turning Nara's disposition around," he said modestly. Privately, he also wasn't sure if putting Nara and Nova together would have been a great pairing either.

"No, of course not," agreed Nova Trynith. "But that, combined with what I've seen of you today, I've come away impressed."

"I…don't know what to say to that."

"That is quite alright Padawan," she said in the tone of a friendly grandmother. "Do you know what the legacy of a Jedi is?"

"The legacy of a Jedi is the people he or she helps over their lifetime," he replied.

Nova nodded approvingly, "Yes, but it is also the Jedi that she trains that forms the legacy of a Jedi. I have been fortunate enough to train two Padawans to become Jedi Knights. You however, are the first Jedi that will be trained by a former apprentice of mine. That means you are a part of my legacy. A grand-Padawan if you will."

"I've…never thought about it that way," he said. Quickly he added, "I'm of course honored to be a part of your legacy as a Jedi."

The Jedi Master nodded solemnly, "It is because of this legacy that I have tested you so harshly today. I wanted to ensure that you are ready to fulfill your destiny as a Jedi. While you have not performed perfectly, I believe that there is no point in keeping you cooped up inside the Temple any longer. You must see the galaxy and learn, as all Jedi learn, that the galaxy is full of surprises."

"I hope to be on a mission soon," he said, wondering if his Master would even want to take him if she did receive a mission.

"It is my hope that I can convince my former apprentice to make herself available to take a mission soon." The Zelton rose, "On that note it's time for my former apprentice to rejoin us." She hit a button on her comlink, "Aurine you can stop hiding out there in the hallway and join us again."

A few moments later a deeply embarrassed Aurine Brynar walked through the door, trying hard to appear natural, "Sorry Master. I wasn't spying on you, I just…"

Nova's stern face was back on, "Quiet, Aurine."

His Master froze and then she bowed politely, "Yes, Master."

Nova whirled to face him, a stern expression on her face, "Padawan, do you feel like you are ready to undertake a mission?"

"I respect the wishes of my Master, it is up to her to decide whether or not I am ready for missions," Sascha knew the easy answer would have been to affirm that he was ready, but he preferred to show tact and deference.

"And if she decided to accept a mission and leave you behind?"

"I would respect her choice and work even harder to prove that I am worthy of being taken on the next mission."

Nova did not pause before firing another question, "What is the role of a Padawan?"

A broad question deserved a broad response, Sascha thought, "A Padawan is to be prepared to do whatever is asked."

Nova lifted an eyebrow, "You are prepared for anything?"

Sascha spoke with conviction, meeting the elder Jedi's glare "Yes. Whatever is asked of me, I will do to the best of my ability."

"Good," Nova than turned back to face Sascha's Master, "Aurine he is ready, see to it that you do not slow down his progress because you have an absurd feeling that you are not ready for the increased responsibility. I trained you better than that." Her speech being made, Nova left the sparring room leaving Aurine and Sascha alone, partially stunned by the quickness of Nova's exit.

Sascha spoke first, "Master Brynar, your Master is an interesting Jedi."

"You are just lucky that she likes you."

"She likes me? She sure had an interesting way of showing it!"

Aurine gave a world-weary sigh, "Welcome to my life, Padawan."


	17. Council

Nova only stayed for a few days at the Jedi Temple before she departing and while he hardly warmed up to her, he gained a deep appreciation of the experience and talents that the Zeltron had. While Nova was here, dinnertime became a much more interesting experience. Dinner was typically when the gathered Jedi would debate the various topics of the day, whether it be reacting to some current event or a deep discussion of Jedi philosophy. To say that Nova Trynith was outspoken was an insult to the word outspoken.

Because he and Aurine always sat with Nova, they tended to get dragged into the debates just by association. While he quickly learned to keep his mouth shut and sit quietly while Nova conducted an entire side of the argument by herself, Aurine never seemed to learn the same lesson. Nova could handle being outspoken, she was able to discuss topics of import without even raising her voice. Aurine well…she got animated. In a particularly heated debate, his Master's cheeks had turned red, and she had started physically pointing at Master Shaak Ti, the main proponent of the other side of the debate. If Nova was calm and detached, her former apprentice was the exact opposite.

Nova's stay at the Jedi Temple also reaffirmed his belief that he was very lucky to have a Master like Aurine Byrnar and not like Nova Trynith. Not that there was anything wrong with Nova, he certainly learned a lot from her, he was just happier in spending time with Aurine, whose personality meshed better with his. Aurine was like a friend, someone he would have chosen to spend time with whether or not she was his Master. Nova…Nova felt like a cranky old headmistress, someone you avoided if you could.

After Nova left, Aurine apologized to him for not being upfront about not undertaking any missions, but he shrugged it off, content to trust in his Master's judgement. With the strenuous part of Aurine's training over, he was allowed to take some initiative in their daily routine and he led Master Brynar in some lessons on research techniques, flipping the Master-apprentice dynamic if only for an afternoon or two.

Around a week later, during a quiet meditation in the Room of a Thousand Fountains at lunchtime, Aurine finally released some of her pent up frustration, "I'm going to go crazy if I don't leave the Temple soon," she remarked. "I'm not used to this much inactivity. I'm thinking of just marching into the High Council chamber and demanding a mission."

"I foresee that ending well, Master," replied Sascha drolly.

Aurine rolled her eyes and continued more seriously, "How would you feel about just picking a planet and seeing how a pair of Jedi could help out?"

He shrugged, "I am at your command as ever, Master."

"You aren't helping."

"Prerogative of being a Padawan, I'm afraid, I don't have to make the decisions, I just leave that up to my Master's wisdom."

"Well I'm giving the Council a week to give us a mission, otherwise I'm finding a transport to some Outer Rim backwater and we are going to hitch a ride."

His Master didn't get a chance to carry out that threat. A few days afterward, he and Aurine had been sitting and chatting quietly about tactics when her datapad had beeped insistently. Annoyed about the interruption, Aurine grabbed the datapad and glanced at it for a second before smiling broadly, "It looks like I have some good news."

"What good news?"

"We are being summoned to the High Council Chambers later today."

Sascha felt his heart racing faster, "The High Council Chambers? Does it say what for? It has to be for a mission, right?"

"It doesn't really say," Aurine replied, "but that's like the High Council. They can't be bothered to give us lowly Jedi Knights any information beyond the bare minimum. I think they like taunting us." Aurine smiled deviously, "Maybe they aren't give us a mission at all. Maybe they just want to send us to oversee one of the Initiate tests. Then you would be getting excited about nothing."

"No, it's a mission, it has to be," he declared. "What kind of mission do you think it will be?"

His Master, her disposition rosy, unfurled her legs out in front of her, "You are getting ahead of yourself, Sascha. You must be ready for any mission that the Council would assign to us. Focusing on what the mission could be will only distract you for what the mission will be. Now what you should do is prepare yourself to be in front of the High Council for the first time."

He immediately realized that Aurine was right and he quickly bounced to his feet, actually dropping his lightsaber in the process, "I should…go brush my hair and make sure my robe is in perfect condition!"

"Yes, yes you should. Don't embarrass me in front of the Council," she said in an amused tone.

"I won't," he promised. "Where and when do you want to meet?"

"I'll pick you up from your room as I make my way to the Council Chambers," she promised, "now shoo, I want to see that robe look as new as the day it was made."

He didn't need any further encouragement; he scurried to his room as quickly as it was possible without looking undignified. When he got to his room, the import of the moment finally hit him. He, Sascha Whitestar, was going to be standing in the High Council Chambers in front of the Jedi Council and entrusted with a mission! It seemed almost impossible. A few months ago, he had been thinking of leaving the Order, now he was going to be trusted to represent the Jedi Order on a distant world. He wanted to run and tell Nara or Tyra or anyone about it, but his friends were all away, so he contented himself by preparing himself fastidiously for the first time he would enter the High Council chambers.

Sooner than he expected, Aurine was knocking on his door. Putting the last touches on his Padawan braid (he had finally learned to braid his own hair two weeks ago), he stepped out into the hallway and presented himself to his Master. The Jedi Knight gave him a glance, and nodded, "I think we are ready."

His Master walked towards the turbolift, keying in one of the upper levels of the Temple. "Do you remember the rules for when you are appearing in front of the Jedi Council?" she said as the car whooshed upwards.

"I know, don't speak unless spoken to," he said dejectedly.

Aurine smiled patiently, "I know it is not very exciting, but it is the Jedi way. Just pay attention, look polite and you'll make a good impression."

He nodded. When the lift reached the appointed floor, they were greeted by the familiar presence of Luminara Unduli. "Luminara," exclaimed Aurine happily, "I knew there must have been a reason that I was summoned today. I bet someone put in a good word for me."

"I always try to bring you along when I can," said the Miralian, smiling lightly. Luminara walked towards the entrance to the Council chambers. "We are next to enter," she said, "You've cut it late as usual."

"I had a whole…" Aurine checked her chrono, "…thirty seconds before the appointed time, lighten up Luminara."

The Miralian rolled her eyes but didn't say anything further. While he was waiting for the doors to open, he fidgeted nervously, fiddling with his Padawan braid. Finally, the door opened, two Jedi exited and it was time for them to enter.

Walking in besides his Master he took in the grandiose room. With its high ceilings and open view of the Coruscant skyline, the High Council chambers were a sight to behold. Deciding he didn't want to look like too much of a daydreamer, he focused on the Jedi Masters in the room. While twelve Jedi Masters sat on the High Council, only seven were currently in the room, Yoda, Plo Koon, Even Piell, Eeth Koth, Adi Galia, and Oppo Rancisis.

Without preamble, Adi Galia, the Tholothian Jedi Master spoke, "We have received a request from the Senator from Kuat, Itoma Kuat. As of late, her life has been threatened by an unknown party. The Senator is returning to Kuat for the Tevanteer Banquet, and she has requested that the Jedi take over her security from the Senate Guards. "

Aurine interrupted, "Excuse me Master Galia, but that is what the Senate Guard is for, they are an elite security force that is charged with protecting the Senators of the Republic."

"I was going to get to that," remarked Adi tersely, "the Senate Guard is usually reluctant to let the Jedi interfere on their turf, but they appear to be more than happy to hand her responsibility to us while they continue their investigative efforts to find who is making these threats."

The Zabrak Jedi Master Eeth Koth continued, "Your mission is to protect the Senator during her stay on Kuat and if possible determine who is threatening the Senator's life. We would like you to work with the Kuati Security Force to maintain the safety of the Senator. There may be many unknowns on this mission, but we trust that you will all use your best judgement. We've sent all the information that we have to your datapads. May the Force be with you."

He was waiting for further words to be spoken, so he was surprised to see Luminara and his Master bow and head towards the exit. He managed to follow Aurine without looking too caught unaware, he thought.

Once they were outside the chamber and in the hallway, he turned to his Master, "That was quick. I thought there would be…more to assigning a mission."

"Padawan," Luminara said with a smile, "There are ten thousand Jedi in our Order, we were lucky to be briefed by the Council at all. Think of how long it would take if the Council took five minutes to brief every Jedi that left the Temple."

"I…never thought of it like that," he said.

Even feeling a bit silly about his assumptions, he was still very happy to have a mission to take on, even if this one seemed rather straightforward. Which was a sentiment not shared by everyone, Sascha could tell. Aurine was chewing on a strand of her sandy blonde hair as they took the turbolift back down to the main levels.

"Escort duty," muttered Aurine "Such an amazing use of Jedi talents."

"Would you have preferred to stay at the Temple longer?" asked Luminara, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

The turbolift hit their desired floor and the three Jedi exited, with a gaggle of young Initiates pushing past them to get inside. "No, I'll be happy to leave here," said Aurine, "It's just that safeguarding some pampered Senator isn't exactly the mission I was hoping for."

While Aurine brooded, Luminara was focused on the task at hand, "Well, we may as well introduce ourselves to our esteemed Senator. I'll call ahead and set up an appointment with Itoma Kuat."

From the moment that Sascha had stepped into the council chambers, everything seemed to at an astonishingly quick pace. The quiet serenity of the Temple had been replaced by the frantic preparations for an upcoming mission. Luminara was able to set up an appointment with Senator Kuat and the three Jedi quickly summoned a speeder to take them to the Senate building.

In the front foyer of the Senator's residence, an aide of the Kuati Senator took them to Itoma Kuat's suite and directed them to a waiting room that Sascha expected would redefine the word lavish. Kuat was a rich world that prided itself on displaying its wealth and power whenever an opportunity arose. Instead, to his surprise the room was tastefully decorated with a handful of paintings and furnishings that were more utilitarian than ornate. It seemed that the room could have belonged to a moderately successful businessman, hardly what Sascha expected from the Senator of one of the most powerful planets in the Republic.

The Jedi waited for their appointment…and then watched the specified hour pass by on their chronos. What kind of Senator shows up late for her own meetings, Sascha wondered. Having been made to wait for nearly an hour for an audience to see the Senator, Aurine was prowling the room like a caged predator, while he tried to be somewhat helpful by further acquainting himself with the files sent from the Jedi Council on his datapad. "If that door doesn't open soon, I'm going to open it with my lightsaber…our appointment was for almost an hour ago!" declared Aurine. The blue armored Senate guard posted outside the Senator's door shifted uncomfortably at that pronouncement.

Luminara, calm, detached, replied, "The Senate moves at its own pace Aurine. We only made an appointment a short while ago, something may have come up since then, I'm sure the Senator will fit us in to her schedule when she has the chance." Muttering something unintelligible, Aurine resumed her pacing.

"Have you found anything of interest in those files, Sascha?" asked Luminara.

"It really depends on your definition of interesting, Master Unduli," he replied distractedly, trying to sift through the deluge of files that had been sent to his datapad.

"Why don't you give us a briefing then?" asked Aurine.

"You just want me to brief you because you haven't read the files like Master Unduli and I have," Sascha replied.

Aurine raised an eyebrow, "I seem to recall that just a few days ago you said that you would 'be prepared to do whatever is asked.'"

Trapped by his own words, he composed himself for a second before speaking, "Senator Itoma Kuat is from the famous Kuat family, one of 'the Ten,' the ten aristocratic families that control the planet. Her appointment to the position of Senator was slightly auspicious; the move was widely seen as a move to placate dissident groups that are agitating for more representation in the planet's internal affairs."

"What can you tell us about Itoma Kuat," inquired Luminara.

"She's part of the most powerful family on the planet, but she's from a more distant branch of the Kuat dynasty. During her political career on Kuat she is seen to be supporting the middle and lower classes on the planet."

"What about her political career on Coruscant? Has she been a part of any of the controversial bills that have passed through the Senate?" asked Luminara pointedly.

"She's been in the Senate for two years, but she has yet to make much of a political impact, despite being the Senator for a prominent world. She's voted with the majority on an astounding ninety-eight percent of votes. As for her dissenting votes…" he scrolled through the short list, "…I don't see anything overly controversial."

"And what of the threats made against the Senator?" asked Aurine.

"There have been a number of threats, and one actual attempt on the Senator's life, however the would-be assassin was foiled by the Senate Guards, unfortunately our assassin-to-be escaped and it seems unlikely that they will be caught. The investigation has pursued numerous leads from domestic dissidents to the aristocrats of Kuat, but the Senate Guard has found nothing concrete yet, and yet the threats continue to come in."

Aurine's brow knitted in frustration, "In short, we know nothing and there are no substantial leads. Wonderful, another fun mission you've dragged me into Luminara." Before the Miralian could launch a retort, the door opened and an aide indicated that they could enter the office of Itoma Kuat.

Like the waiting room, Itoma Kuat's office had a few trappings of wealth, but only a few. The Senator herself was a middle-aged woman of average height who had an aristocratic, but friendly manner to her, she was dressed in a trendy and fashionable light blue dress, prominently displaying the crest of the Kuat Family. Perhaps her most striking attribute were her brown eyes, which displayed deep intelligence, when the Senator glanced at the Padawan, he felt like she was evaluating him like a scanner. She welcomed the Jedi to her office and apologized for the delay before sitting behind a well-used desk. The only other person in the room with Itoma was a severe looking man in a navy blue Kuat Security Force uniform, his disposition was exactly the opposite of Itoma's, he did not seem to welcome the Jedi at all.

Once opening pleasantries were exchanged, the Senator spoke, "I am appreciative that the Jedi Council has agreed to help out with my security, certainly three Jedi are more than I expected would be sent on such a mission."

"More like two and half Jedi if you ask me, Itoma," remarked the older man. Sascha kept his hands at his sides and tried to give no physical sign of his displeasure at that remark directed at him. He wasn't sure if he succeeded.

Itoma frowned, "You'll have to forgive my chief of security, Colonel Roy Zarbo, he has taken these threats against my life quite personally. He can't seem to trust anyone anymore. Though I wish he were more polite to our honored guests," she said emphatically.

Colonel Zarbo muttered a forced apology and the Senator moved on, "I have decided to return to Kuat not only to attend the Tevanteer Banquet, but to see if I can draw out the people who are making these threats on my life. It is distressing to see how little progress has been made in finding out these individuals who would wish me dead, therefore I have decided to speed the process along."

"You proposed this plan to the Senate Guards and they declined, that's why you turned to the Jedi, isn't it Senator?" That was his Master, blunt and to the point as always.

Itoma Kuat's friendly demeanor slipped slightly and Sascha caught a flash of anger from her through the Force. "I am trying to do my best to represent the planet of Kuat in the Senate, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so when other Senators will not meet with me because they fear for their own safety, thus I am forced to take a proactive approach. Who could protect me better than the Jedi?"

Luminara spoke up, as ever a moderating influence, "It is our mission to protect you during your time on Kuat and be assured we will do everything we can to do so."

The Senator brought her hands together in a practiced and friendly gesture, "Very well then, I plan on leaving tomorrow morning for Kuat. We will take my diplomatic shuttle, Emissary of Kuat there is more than enough room to accommodate three Jedi."

Aurine and Luminara shared a look clearly deciding upon who should speak. After a brief moment, Luminara spoke up, "with respect Senator, as we are unsure as to where the threats to you are coming from, perhaps it would be wiser to take a more discreet ship to Kuat."

"The Emissary of Kuat is a heavily protected diplomatic shuttle, it would take a small fleet to take it down!" exclaimed Colonel Zarbo in disbelief.

"Yes, but everyone will know that the Senator be aboard that ship, it is a risk we should not take, we will arrange alternative transport," said Luminara patiently.

The Senator from Kuat shrugged indifferently, "If you think that is best, I leave the planning to you, Master Jedi."

"We will send you the details tonight, we ask that you do not share these details with anyone, we do not know if there are informers in your office." There was another surge of anger from the Colonel, but this time he kept quiet.

The Senator merely smiled however, "I'm sure that I have many informants in my office, it is Kuati politics after all. Rest assured I will share these details only with my chief of security. He has served me for many years and I trust him with my life." Luminara and Aurine shared the briefest of looks, but the Miralian nodded and the Jedi rose and made their exit from the room.

While on their way back, Aurine asked a question that was music to his ears, "Sascha, do you know if the Emerald Dream is available to be taken on a mission?" He smiled in response.


	18. Welcome to Balmorra

Sascha had a hard time sleeping that night, the excitement of going on a mission, of being able to see another planet, of being able to pilot his own ship, all of it was just so overwhelming. He busied himself by preparing diligently for the mission, throwing himself into all the research materials he could find. By the end of the night he was probably qualified to teach an undergraduate course in Balmorran history. Then, when he could barely keep his eyes open, he crawled inside his bedroll and fell asleep.

The next morning while Aurine and Luminara met with the Senator to bring her to the Jedi Temple, he busied himself by running diagnostics on the Emerald Dream. As he expected, all diagnostics reported that the ship was running at full capacity. He wasn't surprised by that, the technicians at the Jedi Temple were among the best in the galaxy and he knew that the Sluissi technicians always took special care of this particular ship. After all, he _was_ from Sluis Van.

Still, no matter how hard he tried, he could not purge the nervous excitement of being on his first mission and being able to pilot his ship on that first mission. It really seemed like something out of a dream. While he had not asked for it, both Luminara and Aurine agreed that he was the best choice to pilot the ship. He thought that might be because the trip would be a rather short and straightforward one, just Coruscant to Balmorra to Kuat, with the stop on Balmorra only because a direct jump from Coruscant to Kuat was impossible. Whatever the reasoning was, he was not about to question it.

Feeling the presence of his Master approaching, he went to the entry ramp of the Emerald Dream and met the four-person contingent that approached. Luminara and Aurine were followed by Itoma Kuat, and as Sascha noted with some distaste, Colonel Roy Zarbo of the Kuati Security Force. Bowing politely he waved the group inside, "Masters, Senator, Colonel, welcome aboard the Emerald Dream." He nodded towards the Senator, "You will of course have the Captain's room, Senator." Itoma Kuat smiled like the practiced politician she was and accepted the invitation politely.

He led the Colonel and the Senator on a short tour of the ship, "I'm afraid the _Dream_ is not much for creature comforts, as a Jedi ship there was not much need to have many installed." That was not exactly true, the ship had come with all the expected luxuries of an expensive ship – they had simply been torn out because Jedi had little need for such creature comforts. When Sascha showed the 'Captain's room' to Itoma Kuat, he could feel her disappointment in the Force, though to her credit it did not show in her expression. The Captain's quarters were not very big and had little in the way of amenities. He was quite sure that the facilities on board the _Emissary of Kuat_ would have put those on his ship to shame. He also didn't really care that this might be the case.

Sascha left the Senator to unpack what little she had brought and went to the cockpit, initiating his pre-flight checklist. Shortly thereafter he was joined by Luminara who would be his co-pilot, mostly because Aurine wanted to in her own words "man the guns." He couldn't really see a situation where the topside turbolaser would be used, but it wasn't his place to question her. Besides, he enjoyed the time he spent with Luminara anyway.

As he got towards the bottom of the checklist, her concentration was interrupted by Itoma Kuat joining the two Jedi in the cockpit, dismay written all over her aristocratic features, "This ship was not made on Kuat was it Master Jedi?"

"The _Emerald Dream_ was built on Sluis Van, Senator Kuat," he answered absentmindedly, trying to remember where he left off on his checklist.

"I see…did you fail to see the political implications of that or are you Jedi sending a message," asked the Senator in a frosty tone.

Luminara replied, "This ship was chosen precisely because no one would expect the Senator from Kuat to be on a Sluissi designed and built ship, because the two planets are rivals in shipbuilding. This ship has also been used by Jedi on many different missions across the galaxy, it is highly maneuverable and heavily shielded, in short it is the perfect ship for this mission."

"It also doesn't have the comforts available that a person of my position is accustomed to," remarked Itoma Kuat bitterly. Luminara gave a fractional shrug in reply, which evidently killed the argument.

A few minutes later, with everyone strapped into their crashwebbing and the pre-flight checklist completed, he cautiously lifted the ship onto repulsorlifts, feeling the difference between flying a ship in the simulators and flying a ship in real life immediately. He nervously took the ship out of the Temple hanger and into the Coruscant skyline. He had a pre-approved flight path for his flight, but he fired the engines a bit too hard on his exit and almost overshot his course before correcting the Emerald Dream back into its proper place. With that bit of nerves out of the way, he confidently took the ship, his ship out of the atmosphere and into space. With the space lanes around Coruscant busy, there was no chance to test out the ship and its capabilities, so he merely followed his flight path and queued up the jump to hyperspace. As the ship entered hyperspace, Sascha realized that he had a huge grin on his face. So much for Jedi mystique, he thought.

Luminara smiled lightly at him, "Well done Sascha."

"Thanks, Master Unduli."

The door to the cockpit wooshed open and his Master walked through, "How did it feel, being able to fly for the first time, Padawan?"

Itoma Kuat's eyes bulged, "This was his first time piloting a ship? The Jedi Council assigns three Jedi to this mission and you let the _youngling_ pilot?"

Sascha was more than a little insulted, but he held his tongue, mostly because he could see his Master preparing a biting retort, "This Jedi apprentice here," she said putting both hands on his shoulders, "is amongst the finest young pilots I have ever seen. You should be honored that you got to see him fly for the first time. Heck, you might even tell your grandchildren about it."

Itoma stood from her seat and left the cockpit in a huff. Aurine shook her head at the departing Kuati, "Don't mind her, Sascha, she's just overly concerned about her safety. Being the target of death threats does things to people. I've seen it before." She paused for a moment, clearly reflecting on a memory, "Anyway, on to happier tidings, you never did answer my original question."

He swiveled his seat, turning to face her, "It felt amazing, Master. Thank you for letting me pilot the ship."

"Anytime, Padawan. I think it's only fair we let you pilot the rest of the way."

Sascha's smile at that pronouncement probably could have provided more light than most suns.

The first leg of the trip to Balmorra would take several hours, then from there they would make a relatively short hot through hyperspace to Kuat. During the time the ship was in hyperspace an uneasy silence persisted as Itoma Kuat nor Colonel Zarbo were very talkative and the three Jedi rotated through monitoring the ship and light meditation to keep as rested as possible.

Upon their reversion out of hyperspace, Sascha again was at the controls with Luminara beside him, Colonel Zarbo and Itoma Kuat had joined the Jedi, seemingly more due to boredom than anything else. Maybe the Senator had run out of games on her datapad.

"Reversion in 3…2…1," counted down Luminara, who eased the ship out of hyperspace. Sascha felt the controls shudder as the ship entered realspace, but otherwise the transition went smoothly.

He stared out the viewport at the slightly distant world of Balmorra. Balmorra would never find itself on a list of the most beautiful worlds in the galaxy, but as a world that derived much of its income from the creation and production of weapons and droids it didn't have to be.

As he waited for Luminara to give him the co-ordinates that would allow the Emerald Dream to jump to Kuat, he scanned the ships around him. The space around Balmorra wasn't very busy, especially compared to Coruscant, and the only ships that appeared even slightly out of the ordinary were a flight of eight Z-95 Headhunters, a reliable class of Starfighter that were presumably attached to the Balmorran Defence Corps. Flat and sleek with a 'bubble' canopy, the Z-95 Headhunter was little more than a cockpit, a pair of wings with blasters on them and four engines.

There was something not quite right about those ships though, he thought to himself. Something was not right about their positioning, how they seemed to be shadowing the _Emerald Dream_. He should have been focusing more on piloting the ship, but he just kept staring at his sensors, expecting the Headhunters to change course, but they kept on shadowing…

He shook off a shiver that went through his body. Vocalizing his concern, he turned to the Miralian beside him, "Master Luminara, why would the Balmorrans have Z-95's as part of their defence corps? They produce their own Starfighters, don't they?"

Luminara, distracted by plotting their jump to Kuat replied, "Balmorra does produce a Starfighter, nothing special but…"

A flash of warning came from the Force, and both he and Luminara both slapped at the control panel, bringing the shields online a second before the Z-95's opened fire with their laser cannons.

Instinctively, he snapped the Emerald Dream into a roll, but could not prevent laser fire from raking against the rear shields. Reverberations echoed through the ship, and he felt his teeth rattle. "Master Luminara, are we ready to jump?" Sascha asked with an undesired shrill in his voice.

"Negative," said Luminara, punching buttons on her control panel furiously.

"What do you mean negative?" That was Itoma Kuat, "just get us out of here!"

"I'll plot a jump, you handle the ship, Jedi" the cool professionalism of Colonel Zarbo was for the first time welcomed in the cockpit.

As Sascha weaved a manic pattern trying to avoid the incoming fire from the starfighters, he dropped deeply into the Force, letting it guide his hands on the controls. The topside laser cannon began replying, and Master Brynar had instant success, clipping one of the Headhunters and sending it spiralling away from the Emerald Dream trailing smoke. Seven enemies remained.

The one knock often leveled against the Z-95 Headhunter was although it was a fast ship with good shields for a Starfighter, its armaments were somewhat lacking, though at the rate they were wearing down the shields of the Dream it was not going to matter very much in the end. He was using the fraction of his brain that was not occupied with piloting the ship to try to find a way out of this situation, and a fraction of that fraction frantically wondering how in the Force they had been tracked.

Beside him, Luminara opened a comm channel and broadcast into the open, "This is Jedi Knight Luminara Unduli aboard the _Emerald Dream_ to Balmorra, we are under attack by unknown forces, requesting immediate aid." Luminara's voice betrayed nothing even in these dire circumstances, appealing to Balmorra for help was probably a waste of time, considering they would likely be dead by the time help arrived, but a good Jedi explored all options. Sascha was hoping that he might live long enough to be considered a good Jedi.

So distracted by his attempts to dodge the incoming laser fire from the Starfighters, he had failed to notice that three well-armed freighters had artfully boxed the _Emerald Dream_ in. Now that they were within firing range, the freighters locked their targeting systems onto the Dream and opened fire with lasers and torpedoes. No matter how good a pilot he was, no matter how manoeuvrable the ship was, there was simply no way to avoid it all.

Sascha did his best, spiralling the Emerald Dream around and pushing the ship to its limits. Somehow, the shields held through the bombardment, though the ship rattled so hard that he thought that it might fall apart anyways. He made a note that if he survived this he would send a note to the Sluis Van shipyards thanking them for making such an exquisite ship.

Desperately snap-rolling into yet another evasive manoeuver, he realized that if he stayed up here, in open space there was no hope, the Emerald Dream could never duel with three freighters and the remaining Starfighters, but there was another option available to him…

The _Emerald Dream_ dove towards the surface of Balmorra, the seven remaining Headhunters screaming in hot pursuit.

"What are you doing!?" exclaimed Itoma Kuat, her voice slightly distorted by the effect of being pushed physically into her seat by the sheer force of the Emerald Dream's change in directions.

"We need to jump to hyperspace!" was the shout from Colonel Zarbo.

"If you disagree with the actions taken, the escape pods are in the back," noted Luminara coolly.

The calculation was simple for Sascha, the Headhunters were going to be able to stick with the _Emerald Dream_ no matter where he flew, the Starfighters were simply too manoeuvrable to avoid in open space, but the freighters, who had the better armament, likely wouldn't be able to follow the surface bound ship. The Dream was simply too fast, and Sascha had not given his opposition enough time to react to his desperate and drastic tactic. He was being proven right, as he spared a second to glance over at the scanner, the freighters were trying to follow the Dream, but were being left behind, only managing to fire potshots at them.

Yet the seven remaining Starfighters continued their pursuit, firing away without much return fire. Another explosion rocked the Emerald Dream, out of the corner of his eye; Sascha saw a blinking light on his dashboard indicating the shields were failing. This is not going to end well, he thought bitterly. The odds improved slightly as Master Brynar blew another Z-95 out of the sky, catching it square in the fuselage and turning it into a spectacular fireball. The remaining six fighters continued on undeterred, their laser cannons firing at will.

As Balmorra grew in the viewscreen, he devoted a second of effort to finding an unpopulated area of the planet, knowing that while he needed an area that had terrain where he could potentially outfly the Z-95's, he also was unwilling to put innocent lives at risk. While the Starfighters were smaller and more manoeuvrable than the Emerald Dream, Sascha was willing to put his flying skills up against his opponents.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing," asked Luminara quietly.

"Yes, trust me," he said tersely.

"Then let me help you," said the Miralian. He felt confidence flow through the Force from the Miralian into him. He used that confidence to buttress his own. Right now, despite piloting a ship that was falling apart around him, he knew that there was still hope, that there was still a way out of this.

Finding a section of the planet that might allow him to evade his pursuers, Sascha adjusted course slightly as the Emerald Dream screamed towards the surface of the planet.

"Emerald Dream this is Balmorra Control, we have forces converging on your location, hang tight," came a voice from the still open comm channel. Luminara thanked the Balmorrans while Sascha resisted a glib comment about how those forces could be around to pick up the pieces of the Dream.

Upon entering the atmosphere, he twisted the ship in the air and feigned that he was going to try to head back up to space before again diving towards the ever-growing shape of Balmorra in his viewscreen. His maneouver managed to shake a few of the Headhunters off of his tail temporarily, but they simply just adjusted course and continued firing from a slightly further distance away.

"Senator, you may want to consider getting to the escape pods," said Luminara as another explosion rocked the ship.

"No…I must be the target of this attack, if they see an escape pod, they will just blow it out of the sky." Sascha at least admired the Senator's courage, and refrained from making a remark that the small chance that the attackers wouldn't destroy the escape pod was probably higher than the Emerald Dream surviving the next few minutes.

Normally, the sight of the approaching ground would have been a consternating sight for a pilot, but to him the ground was his salvation. This was his ship, and he was kriffing sure that he was going to be able to get more than one mission out of her. There was no way that he trained for fifteen years to die on the first mission he took, and that cold, calculating courage made him take risks that no normal pilot would have undertaken. Of course, Jedi Padawan Sascha Whitestar was no ordinary pilot either.

A loud buzzer and an even louder crash that reverberated throughout the ship indicated that the shields of the Emerald Dream were a thing of the past. "Put whatever power we have left into the engines, Master," he said. As Luminara complied with that task Sascha felt a slight bit of acceleration from the overtaxed engines, and broke out of the dive and headed back up towards space. The ship creaked and groaned as it struggled against the gravity of the planet; he ignored the flashing lights on the console, and completed a full loop, which allowed Aurine to claim yet another kill with the topside turret. While the Emerald Dream was hardly designed for atmospheric flight, the fact was at this point Sascha was willing to try anything, and the more desperate and unexpected, the better.

The five remaining Z-95's were flying much more cautiously now, what must have seemed like an easy job, destroying one measly light freighter had seen three of their compatriots shot down. Their target was dodging laser fire with supernatural skill and its support freighters had been stranded in the atmosphere. Still, they were five and the freighter was without shields. Surely, they could complete their task and escape before the Balmorran fighters were upon them?

Diving once again for the ground, he spotted the large canyon formation that he had spied earlier and smiled grimly. Let's have some fun Headhunters, he thought, you bring yourselves, I'll bring the Force and let us see who is alive at the end.

"You can't seriously be heading into that canyon? I don't care how good a pilot you think you are, at these speeds we are going to end up as a permanent feature of the canyon!" Itoma Kuat's voice was now reaching a very un-politician like shrill.

There was no response from the Jedi for none was needed. They simply went about their tasks with the cool efficiency that made the Jedi seem like ethereal beings that were unaffected by normal emotions. There was only the mission, only the Force.

One of the Headhunters decided that he didn't want to follow the _Emerald Dream_ into the canyon and from the ridge above he thought he might have a good shot on the Dream. Aurine showed him the folly of that particular plan, catching that unfortunate Z-95 with a blast from the topside turret, knocking it out of the sky and sending it plummeting to the ground in an uncontrollable tailspin. The pilot just managed to eject before the Starfighter hit the ground.

The four remaining Headhunters blazed after the _Emerald Dream_ firing as they could, but the natural twists and turns of the canyon meant that there was rarely a clear shot offered. Sascha attacked the twists and turns of the canyon like he had flown them since he was a small child, scraping the sides of the ship against the canyon wall, denying his pursuers any chance they may have had to fire at his shieldless ship. The aggressive course taken by the Emerald Dream and its natural speed, never to be underestimated, was opening a decent gap to the Headhunters, who were the more manoeuvrable ships, but they were simply unable to match the Jedi pilot's reckless flight path.

"Incoming contacts," barked Colonel Zarbo.

"More enemies?" squealed Itoma Kuat

"Emerald Dream this is Lietuanant Fask of the Balmorran defence corps, incoming Starfighters from sector 7-A are friendly, do not, repeat, do NOT engage."

With their quarry gaining on them and reinforcements on the way, the four remaining Headhunters decided that discretion was the better part of valor and took off for the atmosphere, the Balmorran fighters in hot pursuit.

Returning to full awareness of his senses, Sascha finally became cognizant of the non-stop wailing of the ship from the control panel and seemingly everywhere else. The control panel was sparking and there were more red indicators on the dashboard than he thought possible. Realizing that the ship was mortally wounded from the thrashing that the Headhunters had given it, he searched desperately for a place to land.

"Uh, Luminara, I'm going to need a place to land, before this ship disintegrates."

The Miralian surprised him with a small smile, "I think that military base you happen to be flying toward will do nicely, yes?"

"Oh." Suddenly he was a chagrined fifteen year old instead of an unstoppable Jedi pilot, he could not stop the colour rising to his face as he directed the _Emerald Dream_ towards the military base in the distance. Then he spotted the well-lit landing pad and coaxed the ship towards it. The ship was so badly damaged that it seemed that half of the systems no longer functioned. Swearing colourfully in Sluissese, a language he was pretty sure no one else on board spoke, he coaxed the _Emerald Dream_ to as reasonably soft a landing that could have been expected and collapsed dramatically into the pilots' chair, not quite sure how he had managed to survive the past few minutes.


	19. Consequences

Everyone quickly clambered out of the mortally wounded Emerald Dream, only pausing long enough to activate the ship's fire extinguishing protocols. At the base of the boarding ramp, (that was miraculously still in working condition), they were greeted by several large, powerfully built, steel gray droids that Sascha recognized as firefighting droids, built to investigate well…crashes like this one.

The droids held their hands up, and spoke in a pleasing, robotic tone, "Citizen, please retreat to a safe distance, the ship is on fire. Your life may be in danger."

"Yeah, yeah, we get it buckethead," said Aurine loudly. Come to think of it, the droids did look like they were wearing buckets on their heads, Sascha decided.

The three Jedi formed a protective circle around the Senator and Colonel Zarbo, led them towards the side of the landing platform, and quietly watched the droids go to work. Sascha observed flames licking at what only half a day ago had been a ship in perfect condition. Now he wasn't sure if it was ever going to get off Balmorra again. He expected to feel…something at this moment. Elation at surviving the attack? Sadness for losing a ship that had been donated by his homeworld? Yet, he didn't feel anything.

"Does anyone have any idea who attacked us? Did the attackers send a transmission, make a list of demands, anything?" asked Colonel Zarbo.

Luminara gave him a rueful shake of her head, "We received no message, but considering the quality of the ambush they set for us, they would certainly have to be one of the better equipped pirate gangs in the galaxy. We are fortunate to have survived. The Force was with us."

"I am going to give a commendation to all three of you Jedi, and to those Balmorran fighter pilots and anyone else that helped us out of this mess." Itoma Kuat was paler than she had been before, but had seemed to shake off the events of the past few minutes with remarkable speed. She then turned to him, "I'm also going to make sure that your ship gets repaired, if it cannot be repaired, it will be replaced, that ship saved my life."

He smiled genuinely, "That is gracious of you Senator, thank you."

Itoma continued in breathless excitement, "Now we need to track those pirates and hunt them down! Finally we have the lead we were looking for!"

Luminara gave the Senator a piercing look, "Senator, you almost died a few minutes ago, surely now we should escort you to a safe location on Kuat or back to Coruscant while the investigation continues?"

Itoma Kuat waved her objections away, "Nonsense, we have a potential break in the case, there is no time to delay. We should start tracking our attackers immediately!"

Track them with what, he wondered. The three Jedi and Colonel Zarbo shared a look, wondering who would challenge the Senator's statement, but they were interrupted by the arrival of a military officer with slightly more decorations than normal on his dark green uniform. The officer bowed politely to the group, "Master Jedi, I'm Lieutenant Fask, welcome to Point Harst. Is anyone injured?"

Luminara stepped forward, "No, Lieutenant, we all seem to have escape quite unharmed. We would like to get inside though, and get an update on the status of our attackers."

The officer nodded briskly, "Of course. If you would follow me inside, my superiors are waiting, I'm sure they will have all the information on hand that you need."

Lieutenant Fask escorted the Jedi through the base, ignoring the questioning looks from many of the base personnel as to why there were five unidentified civilians in the base, several of which appeared to be Jedi. The group was led quickly to the commanding officer who was standing in the middle of what was a fairly high tech control room, though with Balmorra being a hub for high tech weapons that probably should not have been a shock. The commander of the base was an aged but spry looking human in a dark green shirt cut in a military style, and adorned with an impressive array of medals.

The commander offered the group a shallow bow, "Welcome to Point Harst, I am Major Zess, commander of this base. I apologize for your rude welcome to Balmorra, but hopefully we can help you make the best of your unintentional visit."

Luminara started to speak, but Itoma interrupted her, "Major, I am Itoma Kuat, Senator from Kuat." The Major's eyebrows rose in surprise, but Itoma continued, "my companions are Roy Zarbo, Colonel in the Kuati Security Force and Jedi Knights Luminara Unduli and Aurine Brynar, and her Padawan Sascha Whitestar."

The Major almost certainly wasn't expecting a Senator from the Republic along with three Jedi in his control room this fine morning, and appeared to almost be at a loss for words. "I…see. It appears I am at your service, Senator, Master Jedi. What can Balmorra do for you?"

This time Aurine spoke first, silencing the Senator with a stern glance, "We are grateful for the Starfighters you sent to our aid, we would not be here without them. We would like to know what happened to the remaining starfighters that attacked us?"

"Were you able to track them?" asked Itoma Kuat refusing to be silent, ignoring the glares of the Jedi.

"Four of the Z-95's and the three freighters that attacked your ship escaped to hyperspace. Recovery efforts are underway for those fighters that were shot down, but early reports are that no survivors are expected. We will of course inspect these ships for evidence as to who these attackers are."

The Major handed each of them a datapad with the readouts that the base and other bases around Balmorra had taken, "We tracked the vector that the attackers escaped on, though it seems likely that they just made a quick jump through hyperspace and then jumped to their true destination."

"Still, it may be possible to track them, if we move quickly," replied Itoma, clearly unwilling to drop the issue.

"Senator, in case you hadn't noticed, we don't have a functional ship," said Luminara, "and while I know Kuat has a good diplomatic relationship with Balmorra, I don't think they will let you borrow their military to track down a group of pirates. Our best course of action is to get you to Kuat safely, and contact the Republic Judicials; they will certainly be interested in investigating such illegal pirate activity." Luminara spoke with the practiced calm of a diplomat and Sascha could sense that she was being more diplomatic than his own Master would have been.

Itoma Kuat wasn't interested in diplomacy at the moment, "A good point, Master Unduli, we will need to call for the Kuat Security Force. Surely they will be very interested in 'investigating' who attacked their Senator. Major Zess, I need to contact Kuat immediately."

"Of course Senator, you can use my personal communicator – it's in my office."

"We will leave you to it, Senator," said Luminara curtly, clearly this was meant to be a rebuke, but the Senator hardly seemed to mind. The Miralian turned to the Balmorran officer, "Major is there an empty room we can use? My colleagues and I have much to discuss."

The military man nodded, "Of course, Lieutenant Fask - see to their request."

The Jedi were led to an empty briefing room and left alone. Once the Balmorran Lieutenant withdrew, Aurine moved to his side and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You flew brilliantly today Padawan. Are you all right?"

Was he all right? That was a question that was bothering him at the moment. He felt…fine, a little hyped up on adrenaline, but fine. What was he supposed to be feeling? "I'm not sure how I am," he admitted.

His Master guided him towards a chair, and pliantly he sat down. "Padawan, I think you are slightly in shock. Which is completely understandable, that was a bit…harrowing, even for me," she confessed.

"Those attackers…several of them died…I…didn't want anyone to die…I was just flying and listening to the Force…" he trailed off, not exactly sure where his thoughts were taking them. He decided to shut up.

Aurine kneeled to bring herself to his eye level, "Sascha. It is good that you feel emotion for those that have died. You must remember two things though. One, those deaths were not your fault. We were attacked, and we responded defensively. A Jedi never attacks, but he must be allowed to protect himself." Sascha nodded. "Two, those that have died are not taken from us, they are merely allowed to return to the Force, a fate which all of us will experience someday experience. It is a difficult lesson to learn, I know...but it is an important one."

He ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture of nervousness, "I just…didn't expect all this to happen. I thought we were just getting a simple escort mission."

"A Jedi must be prepared for anything," said Luminara.

Aurine grinned slightly, "It's okay Sascha, I know you are in shock right now, but I want to emphasize, the only reason that we are here right now is you."

"Thank you, Master Brynar." He smiled unsteadily at her, "Good shooting."

She smiled back, "I'm very proud of the way you handled yourself today and how you continue to handle yourself. Being in touch with your emotions is something that it took me a long time to learn."

He smiled again at the compliment from his Master, but he was seriously trying to understand how everything seemed to be moving so quickly. Hadn't he just been on Coruscant this morning? And now here he was on Balmorra, with no idea what was going to happen next. If this was the usual life of a Jedi, it was going to take him some time to adapt to it.

As he was trying to sort through his thoughts, his Master perked up from her solemn tone and plastered a wild smile on her face, "Well this boring escort mission certainly got a lot more interesting didn't it? Luminara, any ideas on what just happened?"

The Miralian stood and paced, clasping her hands behind her back, "I think that we have underestimated the amount of danger that the Senator is in. That was a strong fleet of mercenaries that attacked us, and to get them to attack a planet so close to the core? Their payment must have been astronomical."

"But we have no idea who could have attacked us," Aurine pointed out.

"Well, the identity of the attackers is one thing, the identity of who hired them is more important," replied Luminara.

"Hmmm," muttered Aurine, "Sascha, did you happen to tell anyone about our mission? Or perhaps did you see any of the technicians in the Temple hangar acting strangely?"

"I left a message for a couple of people saying I was going on a mission, but nothing specific beyond that. I never mentioned the Emerald Dream."

His Master looked at him apologetically, "I'm sorry, but I had to ask." 

He nodded, not offended in the slightest.

Luminara sighed, "There was a very small number of people that knew what ship we were taking. Not even Senator Kuat, nor Colonel Zarbo knew. Yet those fighters knew to attack us. It's perplexing."

"Could there have been a tracking device put on the ship?" he asked.

"Possible," admitted Luminara, "But it still comes down to someone knowing that we were taking the Emerald Dream."

"And the evidence of such a tracking device was likely destroyed," opined Aurine, "Either by the damage we took, or by the firefighting droids. So it's something of a moot point."

Luminara paused in the middle of her pacing, "I am not sure if we may not be better off following the trail of these mercenaries. We may be able to discover not only who they are, but how they knew to attack the Emerald Dream and who hired them to attack us."

"That is if we can find them at all! They would have to be the worst mercenaries in the galaxy to let themselves be tracked," responded Aurine.

"Perhaps that would be true in a perfect situation, but being harassed by enemy forces they may have made a mistake," Luminara shook her head, "I think we may as well let the Senator chase the pirates, for one further reason…we no longer have a ship on which to travel. We could purchase passage to Kuat for ourselves, but I don't think Senator Kuat is someone that can travel incognito."

"That's as unassailable an argument as I've ever heard, Luminara." Aurine grinned, "Plus, hunting pirates is one of my favourite pastimes." Luminara gave Aurine a stern glance, but said nothing. Sascha stayed quiet like a good Padawan should when his superiors were speaking, but he was clearly missing some sort of subtext between Luminara and his Master.

The moment passed, however, and Aurine then led the Jedi out of the room, "Come Padawan, let us see what our noble Senator has gotten up to in our absence."

Quite a lot was the answer, as the Jedi soon found out. The Kuati Security Force was being summoned to Balmorra in appreciable haste, with a medium cruiser being sent to escort the Senator to wherever she desired. Perhaps the bigger news was the reveal that their attackers indeed had made a mistake. The exit vector that the pirates had taken was generally innocuous, just empty space…until you reached the Larkin asteroid cluster. According to Republic Intelligence, the Larkin asteroid cluster was a haven for pirates, smugglers, bounty hunters and mercenaries. It seemed possible, even probable that their attackers had stopped there. And it was even possible that they were still there or even that it was their base of operations. A stroke of fortune, perhaps.

Itoma Kuat was looking very pleased with herself, apparently feeling like her desire to track the pirates was being vindicated. "So, Master Jedi, I assume you will be joining us as our little Kuati taskforce leaves for the Larkin Asteroid Cluster?"

The two Jedi Knights shared an uncomfortable look, "Our mission is to protect you Senator, so of course we will be accompanying you," said Luminara. "We had understood that you were going to return to Kuat to attend the Tevanteer Banquet? Is this no longer the case?"

"I believe there will be more than enough time to scour one pirate base for the brigands that attacked us and then return in time for the Tevanteer. If not, well, I'll hate to miss the banquet, but I would love to find who my assailants are." Itoma paused, her practiced politicians smile in place, "I'm very glad to hear you will be leading our foray to the Larkin Asteroid Cluster, I assure you there will be no qualms within the Kuati Security Force, they will be at your command."

"At our command?" he blurted, bewildered. Then he realized that he had overstepped his place, and bowed politely, "Apologies Masters," he murmured.

"I agree with the Padawan, Senator. We are more than willing to protect you, but what you are asking is is beyond the goals of our mission," said Luminara her tattooed face revealing her calm fraying slightly.

"I have received official backing for this mission from the Republic Judicials, Master Luminara, this is not some unsanctioned escapade, it is an officially authorized mission." The Republic Judicials were the closest thing that the Republic had to a military, they were more of a galactic security or police force. Jedi often worked with Judicial forces, so the request was not all that uncommon, though the person bestowing command privileges on them was.

"How did you get authorization so fast," asked Aurine, "we just got attacked an hour ago!"

Itoma shrugged casually, "I happen to know the head of the Republic Judicials, Fesar Glinn. Charming man, enjoys a good Nerf steak. He owed me a favour, and I called it in. Sometimes bureaucracy can move that quickly, if you know the right people. I'm sure Fesar will be delighted with the addition of three Jedi to this task force."

Luminara's patience appeared to be almost completely gone and he could see her doing a quick breathing technique to calm herself. To be honest, Sascha couldn't blame her, Itoma Kuat was being quite bullheaded right now and she had sprung quite a surprise on the Jedi, then simply assumed that they would go along with it.

Aurine clearly sensed this as well and physically stepped between the two, "Apologies Senator, we need just a short time to discuss this new development, excuse us."

The Jedi walked back to the briefing room, which was still empty. As soon as the door closed, Aurine ripped into Luminara, "Have you lost your mind, Luminara? Of course we should be in command of the task force, it simply cannot be otherwise!"

Luminara's reply was all ice, "Ah, the old Aurine resurfaces, the one that would rather fight pirates than follow her mission."

Aurine gesticulated angrily at her Miralian friend, "Don't you dare bring that up now. You know how hard I've worked to overcome my past, I am NOT that person you once knew."

"Funny how the new Aurine and the old Aurine like to jump into danger just the same," Luminara retorted, "When what she should be doing is following the mission given to her."

"I am following the mission. Our mission was to protect the Senator and find the attackers. We stand a better chance of finding the Senator's assailants if we are commanding this Kuati task force. We can't do that if we sit on some frigate and merely observe. Look, I know you're a favourite of the High Council but so long as we are both Jedi Knights our opinions are equal, and it is time you start treating me like an colleague instead of your old screw-up friend that you put up with!"

Sascha was realizing that this argument was quickly spiraling out of control, "Masters…"

He was however drowned out by another frosty reply from Luminara. Deciding that he had to stop this before one Jedi said something that they would regret, he grabbed his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, the distinctive snap-hiss sound of lightsaber being ignited brought the argument to an abrupt end. "Masters…if we will deal with the issue at hand, please…"

The embarrassment from both Jedi Knights seemed almost palpable, clearly they had both forgotten that he was even here. Having got both Jedi Knight's attention he disengaged his lightsaber and continued, "I am only a Padawan learner, but I believe that Master Brynar is in the right. It may not be strictly following our mission orders like you said, Master Unduili, but in the spirit of the Jedi Code it seems clear to me at least that we should command the task force. If we are in command then we can dictate the rules of engagement, and ensure that no one is harmed unnecessarily. Plus, if it should come to a battle, can we really sit around on a cruiser and watch while soldiers die? When our presence and leadership may have prevented their deaths?"

A long moment passed. Aurine smirked lightly, "I see that the Padawan has already begun educating the Master. That came faster than expected."

For her part, Luminara looked deeply ashamed at her outburst, "Aurine, I…"

"There is no need to apologize, Luminara. As I recall our friendship was always like this." The two Jedi embraced, argument apparently forgotten. These two have a strange friendship, Sascha thought privately.

"Of course, Padawan you forgot one important thing," said Aurine. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "If we are in command of this task force, that means our beloved Senator isn't, and call me crazy or headstrong, but I do not trust our lovely Senator from Kuat."

"On that we are truly agreed my friend," said Luminara as the three Jedi exited the briefing room, ready for whatever new twist this mission was bringing them.


	20. Pride

Luminara left the room briefly to inform Senator Kuat that they would indeed be lending their full support to the mission. Afterwards the Miralian returned, and the two Jedi Knights used the downtime to work on their report to the Jedi Temple, letting them know the changed circumstances of the mission.

While Aurine and Luminara sat at the large desk and worked on composing their reports, he paced around the room, thoughts racing around his head, each of them competing for his immediate attention. Finally, Aurine set her datapad down, "You have something on your mind, Padawan, why don't you go ahead and spill it."

He bit his lip for a brief moment, "When you two were arguing, Luminara said something about you wanting to fight pirates rather than follow the mission. I want to know what brought on that conversation. Master Luminara seemed to strike a nerve."

Aurine looked cross, but Luminara reached over and touched her arm, "You can't keep your past entirely from your Padawan. Let him learn from your mistakes."

His Master folded her arms across her chest, and he thought for a second that Aurine was going to stonewall him like she usually did when he'd ask about her past. Oh, she'd speak in generalities, but specifics? Forget about it. He expected something similar here.

Aurine blew some of the hair that had fallen onto her face with a sigh, "I suppose that I can't defeat your logic Luminara."

"As usual," replied the Miralian mirthfully.

Deciding that this was likely to be a long story, he quickly grabbed a chair while his Master prepared herself. The blonde haired Jedi knight leaned back in her chair, "I've made no secret to you that I was a bad Padawan. Key word there is was. I'd say that my biggest mistakes all stemmed from the fact that I thought I was going to single-handedly bring peace and justice to the galaxy."

"If you were a bit wild at first, your successes made you even more headstrong," noted Luminara.

Aurine rubbed her face, "Yes, it would have been nice to have the galaxy beat me down a bit, but it didn't happen that way for me. On one of my first missions, I captured the so called 'Dread Lord Harcurus.'

"That was you?" he blurted.

Aurine smiled wistfully, "Yes, the great pirate Harcurus was captured by a thirteen year old Jedi Padawan. I know it sounds impressive, but the truth is much less so. The truth was, I was just sitting in a cantina, trying to avoid what my Master had sent me to do, when the esteemed pirate lord slid into the booth next to me and started flirting with me. I led him on, so that I could get him away from his crew, and when finally I got him alone, I withdrew my lightsaber and captured him. I still can't believe I let him touch me." Aurine shuddered.

He interrupted, "I don't understand Master, it sounds like that was a great success. Unconventional, maybe, but a success."

"It was a success," Aurine allowed, "But the success went straight to my head. I became obsessed with the idea that I was a great crusader and that the Force was speaking to me, making me a great herald for the Jedi Order. I thought that the Jedi and the galaxy at large would soon know me as 'Aurine Brynar, the great pirate hunter.'" Aurine paused for a long moment, staring right into his eyes, "Let me tell you Padawan, there is nothing worse than thinking that you are invincible."

"Funny thinking from a Jedi that I routinely beat in sparring sessions," quipped Luminara.

"Yes, well, I was never the most intelligent Jedi, I think we can all agree on that," Aurine said dryly.

"So, I'm guessing it all went wrong at some point," he said.

"Oh, spectacularly. Every time I had a chance to fight an outlaw, or pirate I would jump at the opportunity and to hell if my mission actually called for it. I did some rather dumb things to provoke fights rather than do things the proper Jedi way. Master Trynith warned me repeatedly that I was ignoring the big picture for this narrow goal of capturing pirates, and that one day it would be my undoing. But I didn't care, I thought I was chosen by the Force to fight outlaws. Who cares if she was an experienced Jedi Master, I clearly knew better."

"I can't imagine that Master Trynith took that too well," he said. Sascha could hardly imagine the lectures that the Zelton would have delivered.

"No," Aurine said bluntly, "But Nova knew what I know now, that I'd have to have my enthusiasm for a pirate hunt go wrong before she could educate me. I guess she underestimated how wild, how stupid I actually was.

Aurine paused and Luminara again patted her friend's arm softly in support. His Master nodded her thanks to Luminara before continuing, "Nova and I were sent to Ifmix VI to protect some wayfarers that were making a pilgrimage across the desert. The inhabitants of Ifmix VI, the Squalris, do a pilgrimage to a sacred temple once in their lives, and they cannot use modern technology to get to the Temple. So some brilliant group of bandits figured out that these people were the perfect targets because they had no speeders, no blasters, no defences. And of course they had wealth, because they were making these religious offerings at the Temple."

"When we got there, Nova assigned me to protect a caravan as they made their trek to their Temple and back. She said we needed time to find where these outlaws were hiding before we confronted them. I…thought otherwise."

"I escorted the caravan to the Temple. It was excruciatingly boring. So when we were on the way back and I spotted a lone figure wielding a rifle, I took my opportunity and chased after him. He ran to his speeder and I chased him." Aurine smiled a little, "You know in those action holos where the hero holds on to the speeder while the villain tries to dislodge her and make a getaway? That's what happened to me, it was an exciting, adrenaline pumping chase, the type I loved when I was younger. Eventually I was able to capture this would be attacker."

The blonde-haired Jedi Knight looked away for a moment, "I came back with this one outlaw taken prisoner…but when I got back, the caravan had been attacked and was in tatters. But the worst part was that there," Aurine struggled with emotion for a second, "there was a man lying face down, and I knew that he was dead. That's when I realized that I had abandoned my post and let all of this happen. I captured one outlaw, but I had let the caravan be sacked and an innocent person die."

"The looks that the other pilgrims gave me…they knew that I had failed them. They had thought themselves so blessed, to have a Jedi guarding them, but they hadn't been blessed by a Jedi at all, they had been cursed by getting me, instead of a real Jedi."

"When the caravan returned the city, I handed Master Trynith my lightsaber, and I told her I didn't want to carry it anymore. I told her that only Jedi carry lightsabers, and I was not a Jedi. I was just a stupid girl who only wanted to fight. I told her I was resigning from the Jedi Order."

Despite knowing that Aurine obviously hadn't resigned from the Jedi Order, he still felt himself take in a sharp intake of breath at her pronouncement. This whole story was shocking, he had known that his Master had a checkered past, but he could now see why she didn't tell him a ton of stories about her time as a Padawan.

Aurine continued though, "Master Trynith eventually convinced me that the only true penance I could give was not leaving the Jedi, but by dedicating myself fully to the tenets of the Order. Only that way, could I give that Squalris' death some meaning. It took me a while to see that, but it was true. The lives I've saved from that point onward, all of them come because that man died on Ifmix VI. My life is dedicated to him, even though I never knew his name."

"Did you eventually find the bandits that were harassing the pilgrims?" he asked.

His Master nodded in the affirmative, "Yes. Master Trynith had to do most of the work, because I was too depressed, too angry at myself to be useful, but Nova is a Jedi Master for a reason, she's brilliant."

Sascha took a moment, trying to comprehend his Master's tale, "Why did you never share that story, Master? It was an interesting one."

His Master hesitated, "The reason I never shared these stories is that you don't have any of the same problems that I did. You aren't headstrong, you've certainly never thought you were invincible, and you are so very selfless. All the lessons I had to learn, I think you've already done so." A few tears welled in his Master's eyes, and her voice began to crack with emotion. "And I wanted you to think well of me, I wanted you to think that I was a Jedi worthy of being your Master, and I thought that if you knew all about my past that you'd think less of me, you'd think that you got stuck with this screw up that somehow made it to Jedi Knight. All I've wanted is to think you got the best. Well…now you know that you didn't."

Sascha instinctively knew what to do; he got up, went over and embraced his Master, letting his tears flow as naturally as they had for his Master. After a moment, Luminara came over and threw her arms around both Master and Padawan.

No words were spoken for a long moment, he just held his Master as she sniffled softly.

Luminara pulled away first. He held on a second longer, and whispered, "I did get the best Master."

Aurine sobbed a little and then pulled away, holding him at arm's length, "You are the best Padawan, you know that right? I can't believe no one picked you before I did."

He gave her a lopsided smile, "Their loss."

Luminara broke up the moment by coughing loudly and insistently, "Hello? I was the one that brought Sascha to your attention. Let us not rewrite history."

He and Aurine laughed, but he'd never felt closer to his Master than at this moment. He didn't care about her past, not really. All that really mattered to him was that she had picked him out of all the Initiates in the Temple to be her Padawan, and that she put her faith in him every day. That was all that would ever matter to him.

"So, Master, you said you still enjoy fighting pirates. Is that true?"

"Yes, she admitted, "you should know that I enjoy battle and fighting pirates. But I no longer see it as my fate, or something that I'm destined to do. I'm merely good at it. And to be honest, I believe it is the place of a Jedi to bring these outlaws to justice. Removing the beings that prey on the weak, the helpless, that is the job of a Jedi. The difference is now that I'm fighting them for the right reason. I'm not pursuing adventure for adventure's sake, I'm solely focused on the mission at hand."

"There must always be balance," said Luminara quietly.

Aurine nodded at her, "Yes. It's taken me a long time to learn that. I've learned to temper my enthusiasm and my thrill for battle with the serenity that comes when you realize that you are the sword that protects the innocent."

"That's a lovely phrase, Master."

Aurine smiled ruefully, "Thanks, but it's Nova's."

He shrugged, "Funny, I've never heard her say it. I think it's yours."

Aurine smiled fondly at him, but Luminara clapped her hands together loudly, "Must I really be the one to point out that we are currently on a mission and that we are clearly ignoring the moral of Aurine's story at the moment. We should remain focused on why we are here."

His Master nodded, "You are right Luminara, as usual."

Luminara smiled at him, "This is the main difference between Aurine as a Jedi Knight and Aurine as a Padawan. She's finally learned to listen to my advice without question."

"Very funny, Luminara," retorted Aurine.

At that moment there was a soft knock on the door. "Come in," said Luminara.

Lieutenant Fask entered, "The shuttle to take you to the Kuati crusier is here."

"Thanks Lieutenant," said Luminara, "We will be there shortly."

"All right, I guess it's time to say goodbye to Balmorra. Shame we didn't get to see much of the planet," said Aurine.

A shuttle brought the Senator, Colonel Zarbo, and the three Jedi to the cruiser Kuati Pride. A sleek, aerodynamic looking ship that was roughly equivalent to a frigate in military terms, it cut a very impressive figure as it grew in the viewport of the shuttle.

As the group exited their shuttle, they were met by three very different humans in military uniforms. The one standing at the front had the most rank indicators on his chest, so Sascha guessed that he was the captain. The captain was a gaunt but energetic looking fellow, with bright, piercing, brown eyes and a receding hairline. The man to the right of him was one of the tallest humans that Sascha had ever seen. Not a beanpole, the man was muscled head to toe and it looked like he might be able to tear apart a gundark with his bare hands. To the left of the captain was a pleasant seeming woman that was smiling affably at the group.

The man in front bowed to the group, "Welcome to the Kuati Pride. I am Sallo Kessler, captain of this ship. With me is Lieutenant Minn Corcer," he said pointing to the mountain of a man beside him, "and my second in command, Nina Orikan. If you follow me, I'll lead you to the bridge."

The captain gave a brief tour of the ship while they traversed to the bridge. Sascha was impressed by the Kuati Pride, it was a gleaming example of Kuat's shipyards, everything was neat and orderly and every surface seemed to gleam as if it had been recently polished.

When they finally reached the bridge of the Kuati Pride, it took most of his self-control to not break into a wide grin. The bridge of the cruiser was awe-inspiring. A large forward viewport afforded the bridge crew a panoramic view of Balmorra. The command pit, where all the analysts and junior officers worked was abuzz with military efficiency. Sascha Whitestar had always wondered what it would be like to be in the military – joining the Republic Judicials was something he had certainly been considering if he had left the Jedi, and he got the feeling he would have liked it.

He turned his attention back to Captain Kessler as the Kuati addressed the group, "While I make the jump to hyperspace, I'll hand you over to Lieutenant Orikan, she has prepared a briefing for the three of you Jedi. Senator, I've allowed you the use of my quarters, just let me know when you'd like to see them, I'm sure you are very tired. Colonel Zarbo, we've prepared quarters suitable for your rank as well."

"This is much appreciated, Captain Kessler, thank you," said Itoma, smiling widely. Colonel Zarbo nodded politely as well.

Sascha and the other Jedi were growing more than a little disconcerted at how fast this mission was progressing, while theoretically they were 'in command' of the mission, it was becoming increasingly clear that the timetable set by Senator Kuat was more important than whatever command privileges were being bestowed on them. While he acknowledged that moving quickly might allow them to catch up to their attackers, there was certainly a chance that by moving too quickly they would make a critical error. Sascha supposed that this was a problem that had to be expected when the Senator for a planet was on a ship – Captain Kessler obviously knew that if he performed to Itoma's liking that he could be on the fast track to a further promotion.

While the Jedi waited for Lieutenant Orikan to reappear, he watched as Itoma Kuat put her skills as a politician to good use. She wandered around the command pit, thanking each crew member that she came in contact with and struck up brief conversation with each of them. What impressed him was that she seemed completely sincere; it was not merely something that she was doing because it was expected of her. He knew that he had to be careful around politicians like Itoma Kuat, but the more he got to see her in action, the more impressed he became.

Lieutenant Orikan finally deigned to reappear on the bridge, apologizing profusely about the delay, "Sorry about that, Master Jedi, I was just rechecking some of the information we received. If you follow me, Lieutenant Corcer and I have a briefing ready and waiting for you."

"Please," said Luminara, "Lead on."

The perky Lieutenant led the Jedi away from the command deck and into the bowels of the ship, "We've prepared some quarters for you three, nothing fancy, I'm afraid, but it was the best we could do on short notice."

His Master smiled amiably at the Kuati, "Before we get to the briefing room, could we actually stop at those quarters?"

The Lieutenant hesitated, "I don't think you'll want to spend much time there, the space we made for you was for junior personnel… it's just bunks and bulkheads."

"Jedi do not need much luxury, Lieutenant, do not worry," said Luminara diplomatically.

"I suppose…I could take you there." Lieutenant Orikan withdrew a datapad and checked it before leading the Jedi to another section of the ship. Crew members openly stared at the three Jedi as they passed. Sascha figured that he might have to get used to being stared at. After all, these Kuatis might never see a Jedi for the rest of their lives.

The Lieutenant pressed a button and a door whooshed open. The three Jedi stepped inside, and Sascha could hardly believe his eyes. These 'quarters' were nothing more than three of the lowest grade bunk beds he could remember seeing shoved into a small room. His room as an eight year old in the Jedi Temple had been bigger than this.

"I'll…wait outside," said the Kuati woman, obviously uncomfortable and feeling like she may have just insulted the Jedi. She closed the door behind her.

Sascha shook his head in disbelief, sitting on the bottom section of one of the bunks, "The Senator gets the captain's quarters and we get…this? I know I shouldn't be insulted, but…"

"Then don't be insulted, Sascha," said Luminara, "Jedi take what is given. We asked for quarters and we received them. We can ask for no more."

Aurine flopped on a bunk that she was obviously claiming as hers, "I'm with Sascha. I'm insulted," she said half-seriously.

"I think you should tell Sascha why we are making this detour," said Luminara pointedly.

His Master bounced off her bunk and came to sit by him, putting a hand on his back, "You, Padawan, are going to rest here while we plan out our mission."

"But Master, I want to help plan! I want to know what is going on!"

His Master smirked, and spoke in a tone he could only describe as motherly, "Sascha, I want to tell me the last time you slept."

He blinked a few times, trying to remember exactly when that had been, "I guess back on Coruscant?"

"And how long ago was that?"

"I…don't know," he admitted sheepishly.

His Master patted him on the back, "I have a feeling that I'm going to need my Padawan operating at full capacity when we get to the Larkin Asteroid cluster. The only way you'll be anywhere close to your best is if you are not out on your feet with sleep exhaustion."

"But I don't think I've been more wide awake in my life, Master," he replied honestly, "I don't think I can sleep."

Aurine nodded sagely, "This is a skill you will have to learn, Sascha. You know how war is often described as 'interminable boredom punctuated by moments of terror?'" He nodded. "You will find that missions are often the same. Much of it is routine, and then there will be brief moments where it seems that eighteen things happen at once. You must learn how to use the downtime provided to sleep, no matter what the situation."

"I'd like to learn, but I don't think I'll be able to right now," he confessed.

"Then I'll help you along this time," replied his Master. "Lie down and get ready for bed." He complied, shucking off his boots and crawling under the thin covers. His Master brushed his hair with a tender hand, and said, "Sleep." He was unconscious before the Jedi Knight could even finish her sentence.


	21. Preparation

When Sascha Whitestar awoke, he thought for a brief moment that he was back in his bed in the Jedi Temple. That idyllic idea was shattered when he tried to roll over and grab a few more minutes of sleep…and almost rolled right out of his bed. Jolted awake by the sensation of falling, he was able to grab on to the side of the bed and keep himself from tumbling to the ground. "I don't understand why everyone doesn't just sleep on the ground," he grumbled. If he had fallen off the bed, he might have broken an arm or something. His mattress hadn't even been much softer than his bedroll in his room at the Jedi Temple, and the ground there was stone…

Sighing, he looked around for a second. The room was dark, but there was a light, likely from a datapad, coming from his Master's bunk. Luminara was sleeping quietly, her hands resting lightly on her stomach as her chest rose and fell rhythmically.

"Sascha?" His Master's voice.

"Yes, Master. I'm awake. Do I need to be quiet?" he whispered.

"Luminara can sleep through pretty much anything. I wouldn't worry about it."

Sascha picked up his datapad and scrolled past the waiting message from his Master – if it had been urgent, she would had said something, and then he saw the time that was shown on the datapad. "How long did you let me sleep for?"

"I let you get six hours of sleep."

"Six hours? How long until we arrive at our destination?"

"Two hours or so," his Master said casually, dropping from the top bunk to the ground, bending her knees deeply so that she barely made a sound when she hit the floor. His Master was dressed in what he would call her 'casual' mode, boots and socks off, her beige pants hiked to just below her knees and wearing only her light beige inner tunic.

"And two hours is going to be long enough to brief me on what you've planned?" he asked.

"Yes. It will not take that long," she said confidently.

Sascha had a sudden sinking feeling that he was going to be left out. Maybe he was going to be assigned to protect Senator Kuat. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. Of course, he still wasn't exactly sure what was going on.

Aurine seemed to notice his disappointment, and she sat at the edge of his bed, "Sascha. This is your first mission, so we've given you something simple." She paused for a moment in the darkness, "You'll be commanding Falcon squad as a part of our flexible reserve when we land on Narvis Rock."

"WHAT!" None of those words made sense, but the ones that seemed especially out of place was 'command,' and 'reserve.'

Luminara groaned, and her bright blue eyes fluttered open. Sascha instantly felt terrible that his shout of astonishment had awoken the Miralian.

He couldn't really see it, but he would have bet all the credits he owned (zero), that Aurine was smiling very widely at this moment, "You know when I said that Luminara could sleep through most things, I didn't mean that she would sleep through loud shouts."

"Sorry, Master Luminara," he said, bowing his head apologetically.

The Miralian waved away his apology and yawned.

Aurine got up and flicked on the lights, "I was about to get her up soon anyway…I probably would have been a little more subtle about it, but it can't be changed now."

"So, can we go back to the part where you said I'd be commanding a squad? Can we back up to the very beginning because I am so very, very lost."

His Master shrugged nonchalantly, "Well, Luminara and I were going to go through our plan one more time, so this seems like an opportune time to do so."

"Perhaps if you give me five minutes to gather my senses," said the Miralian wryly.

Aurine smirked and ignored her friend, "Do you want the long version of the plan or the annotated one, Sascha?"

"The short version is fine." Sascha just wanted one of the two Jedi Knights to say that he wouldn't be in command of troops, and they were just playing some sort of practical joke on him. He wanted to contribute to the mission…but not really in that way.

Aurine grabbed her datapad and turned it to projection mode, so that it would display what was on the screen as a holographic image that the whole room could see it. The light blue glow changed to display a picture of a small cluster of asteroids. "This is the Larkin Asteroid cluster, so named after the explorer that discovered these space rocks. A thousand years ago, these asteroids were all mined for their precious metals. About fifty years ago, all the available metals had been mined, so the miners closed up shop and left. The big asteroid on the edge of the cluster is the only asteroid that is habitable – it was the old miner's barracks back in the day. The inhabitants call it Narvis Rock."

A small hand gesture enabled Aurine to change the projection to another image, this one displayed a large, ugly Phindian who had a deep scar running from just below his right eye to his mouth. "Today Narvis Rock is supposedly controlled by this lovely creature, a Phindian who goes by the name of Tu Dronos. You may know him as a foul tempered pirate who has tangled with the Republic on quite a few previous occasions. He's wanted in Republic space for everything from piracy to murder. He's known to have a loyal gang with him, but we can't be sure as to how numerous his people may be or how tight his control of Narvis Rock is." Aurine shrugged, "Truth is, we don't have the best intelligence to work on, because this is a lesser traveled area of space."

"So Dronos is the suspect behind the attack on the Senator?" he surmised.

"He's certainly the main suspect," agreed Aurine. "Dronos almost certainly has the resources to pull off such an attack. So, for this and the fact he's a wanted criminal, we're going to try and bring him in for questioning, and then a long stay in prison."

Several pieces of information seemed to be missing from this plan, "How exactly is this going to work, Master? Are we going to show up outside of this 'Narvis Rock' and ask that Tu Dronos surrender himself?"

"We are going to try the diplomatic approach," said Luminara, "doing pretty much as you said, transmitting a message to Narvis Rock and asking for information." The Miralian sighed, "But my experiences in these matters tell me that even if we send a message to Narvis Rock, we won't get a reply. Thus we are left with Aurine's favourite – lightsaber diplomacy."

His Master grimaced, "Not even I am looking forward to this, Luminara. There are too many unknowns for my liking, including our Kuati 'allies.'"

Luminara stood from her bunk and started doing some stretches, "I'll suggest again that we simply abort our jump and I'll go undercover and see what I can find about Narvis Rock."

"That's a more cautious plan," his Master agreed. "Unfortunately we can't be sure that you'd actually find anything useful, and then we'd have given the attackers time to cover their tracks. Now that we have this lead on the attackers, I'm very loathe to waste it."

The Miralian sat and unfurled her legs in front of her, and then she bent from the waist and started stretching her calves, "For once I find it hard to defeat your logic, Aurine."

"First time for everything," his Master said with a smile.

"Yes, well you might as well explain the actual plan to your Padawan, instead of gloating about your minor victory."

"Spoilsport," replied Aurine, sticking her tongue out at Luminara in a very un-Jedi like display. Sascha smiled though, he knew his Master was not like other Jedi, and he appreciated her lightheartedness.

"So the plan is very simple," said his Master, "given that our attempt at diplomacy is almost certain to fail, all three of us and four squads of Kuati marines will be invading Narvis Rock. Myself, Luminara and two squads of Kuati troopers will head into the bowels of the place and get access to the main computer. You'll handle the reserves, being our potential backup, and the fourth squad of Kuati marines will maintain our beachhead and guard the shuttles."

Sascha paused, expecting more. When it became obvious that his Master was done speaking, he stood from his bed, astonished, "That is the whole plan? When we are invading an asteroid potentially full of pirates and mercenaries?"

"What do I always tell you about tactical planning when there is a dearth of information?" she asked patiently.

He paused, trying to remember the appropriate lesson, there had been so many that his Master had drilled into him over the past few months. "Don't get bogged down in making a detailed plan when you have no details," he recited.

"Good," she said approvingly, "Now apply the lesson to this mission."

He thought about it for a brief moment, "You don't want to make a detailed plan, because we don't know anything. We are staying with a basic objective and hoping to improvise on site."

"Exactly. Our overall goal is to retrieve an any and all information about the assassination attempts on the Senator. Secondary objectives include the neutralization or apprehension of any noted outlaws, particularly Tu Dronos. To accomplish these goals, our main objective will be securing the main computer hub of Narvis Rock. From there, we essentially control the asteroid, and we can open doors, cargo holds, lock down the hangar bays and more."

Sascha ran a hand through his hair and fiddled with his Padawan braid for a second, "I just don't see why you need me to command a whole squad. Let me be with you, Master…I'm not sure I'm ready for the responsibility of handling myself, let alone a full squad of soldiers."

"Sascha, in a perfect galaxy we would have more Jedi available and then you and I could fight side by side, but I do not trust the Kuatis who have rushed us into this task and I need someone I trust to command the reserves. You are ready for this. We've trained for this, there was a reason we played all those tactical games back at the Temple, you have a good mind for military thinking, and we can put it to use here."

Suddenly, all the things he had been holding back from saying the last few minutes all tumbled out, "Master, those are just games, and you beat me every time we play! We are talking about me commanding real people! I'm fifteen! How do I command the respect of a professional soldier? How do I know I'm making the right decisions?"

"You are a Jedi, you will know," replied Master Brynar matter-of-factly.

"Master, that isn't an answer!" he replied shrilly.

Luminara, her stretches complete, interrupted, "Aurine if he feels that he is not ready…it would not be a terrible thing to have him in the front lines with us. The Kuati troops can manage without him."

Aurine adopted a look of faux impatience, "Can't a Master browbeat her Padawan without her best friend interrupting?"

The two friends grinned at each other for a second before Aurine returned her focus to him, "Sascha, I know it is hard, but I wouldn't give you this assignment if I didn't think you could handle it."

Still feeling very lukewarm about the whole idea, but buoyed by the confidence that everyone around him seemed to have, he bowed his head politely, "I accept my assignment, Master."

Aurine nodded solemnly, "Here's some simple advice Sascha. Master Trynith said this to me before our first mission. I hope you'll see the wisdom in it earlier than I did." Aurine closed her eyes, clearly reciting something, "The way to be a Jedi is simple. You simply choose, and act. If you are calm, decisive, confident, and place your trust in the Force, you will be a Jedi."

He sat back down on his bed, trying to absorb that statement. While the only thing he had ever wanted to be in his life was a Jedi, he was finding that on this mission he was feeling more lost than he wanted to. Was being a Jedi really as simple as just as trusting the Force? He did not have the experience to disagree with his Master, but something told him it was not that simple. But perhaps it was a good building block.

"If you are done daydreaming…"

Sascha snapped his attention back to his Master, "Sorry Master…I was just thinking about what you said."

"You can reflect on philosophy after we are done, Sascha. For now, I want your mind firmly on Narvis Rock. To that end, I want you to meet with a…" Aurine picked up her datapad from the floor and scrolled through some data quickly, "…Sergeant Hoskin. He's the nominal commander of Falcon squad. You will, of course, now command that squad during our operation."

Sascha was sure that Sergeant Hoskin was thrilled to turn over his squad to an untested fifteen year old. "Where am I meeting him?"

"I'll send it to your datapad. I believe he is waiting for you."

"I won't keep him waiting then," he said, to cover his suddenly roiling stomach. He tried to tell himself that it was just a conversation, but another part of his mind told him that he'd only get a chance to make a first impression once.

"You'll do fine, Padawan. Militaries around the galaxy respect the Jedi. Something about deflecting incoming blaster fire that they tend to appreciate," his Master said dryly.

He smiled faintly at the joke, "It will be a good experience, at the very least."

With nothing left to say, he bowed politely to the Jedi Knights and exited the room. Once outside, he took out his datapad to find the directions to where he was supposed to go, being on an unfamiliar ship, he had no idea where he supposed to be going.

After a short walk, he paused outside the door, took a deep breath and rung the chime.

"Enter," came the gruff male voice from within.

Sascha stepped through the door, and into the small briefing room. Sitting in a chair behind the table at the front of the room was a tall, well-muscled man with a receding hairline that appeared to be in his late forties. Before he could introduce himself, Sergeant Hoskin stood and snapped into a crisp salute, "You must be Jedi Whitestar."

He wasn't quite sure if he should return the salute, so he merely decided to bow politely, "No need to salute, Sergeant, I'm not a military officer."

The Sergeant continued to stand straight-backed, "How would you like to be referred to then? Master Jedi?"

Master Jedi was the honorarium that was often used for addressing a Jedi, but it felt...inappropriate here. "Uh, that would be fine, but I'd prefer just Padawan Whitestar. Or if it's just the two of us, you can just call me Sascha."

Sergeant Hoskin suppressed a little grin and relaxed his posture, "I think that might be a step too far for a career military grunt like me."

"I see your point. Just know that Jedi aren't big on titles, I won't be insulted…whatever you call me."

The big man sat down at his chair again, "I'll try to call you Padawan Whitestar, but I may slip into my old ways."

"That's fine." Sascha pulled out a chair and sat lazily into it, "Let's just get down to it, is there anything you wanted to discuss before we land on Narvis Rock?"

The Kuati man seemed rather unconcerned, "Not really, we just have to read and react to the situation as it progresses. When I briefed the men they were all happy to hear that we'd have a Jedi leading them…I think they assumed that they'd get someone a bit older …can I ask how old you are?"

"I'm fifteen, Sergeant."

The Kuati put a finger on his chin, "Ah, well you look younger. I was afraid for a moment that you were younger than my son – I think that would mean that I officially had gotten old."

Sascha smiled, "I'm sure you still have a few good years left."

"That's what I keep telling my wife," replied the Sergeant, clearly enjoying the chance to banter with a Jedi.

Sascha glances at a holo that is on the Sergeant's desk. It's clearly a family portrait, the Sargeant is there wearing an easy smile, sitting beside him is his wife, dark-skinned, lithe and quite pretty. In front of the parents are two children, a girl and boy – the boy looks like he might be eleven or twelve and clearly takes after his father. The girl might be eight or so, and in the photo she clutches a small plush toy. It's a wonderful picture of a normal family.

For a second, Sascha considers how different he and the Kuati soldier are. He had been taken from his parents by the Jedi as a youngling, he would never have a wife or children, or even a romantic relationship. Wherever his parents were, there was just an empty space in the family photo where he should have been. That thought ended any good feelings he may have had about this conversation.

Stay focused on the now, he can almost hear his Master's rebuke. "Are you okay?" asks the large Kuati Sargeant.

He shakes his head, more as a rebuke to himself than anything, "I'm fine."

"Jedi thing?"

"Yeah," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. Maybe it was something of a lie, but it was certainly better than explaining to a man he would soon be commanding that he was feeling lonely.

The Kuati drums his fingers on the desk for a second, "I have something to ask you, actually."

He tries to appear nonchalant again, "Ask away."

"Can I take you to the armory? I think we might be able to find some body armor about your size."

He feels his eyebrows rise, "I'm just fine in my robe. Jedi are not soldiers and we do not dress as such."

The large Kuati hesitated, "I'm sure you know best. I'm sure you've done this a hundred times before. It will just be hard to see someone that is a few years older than my son go into battle without any sort of protection."

"I'll be fine, Sargeant. I've trained my whole life to fight in these clothes, I see no reason to change it now." The Sergeant is clearly about to object when his datapad beeps, "Sorry, but that's my Master, I have to go see what she wants. I'll see you shortly, Sergeant Hoskin," he said, bowing his head politely.

The Kuati returned the bow, "It was a pleasure, Master Jedi. Don't worry about Falcon squad, they're probably the best squad of men I'd ever had. And they are all fired up about working with a Jedi. They all want a story to tell their kids when they get back."

"Tell them I'll sign autographs after we get back from Narvis Rock."

The Sergeant laughed heartily, "I will. See you soon."

He walked into the room to see the two Jedi Knights deep in conversation. Noticing that he had arrived Aurine stood, "How did it go?"

"Well, I didn't faceplant when I walked through the door at least."

"Nice to see your sense of humor is intact. I'm sure you were the very model of a Jedi Padawan. But come, it's time to meditate."

The three Jedi sat and aligned themselves in a loose triangle and began preparations to meditate. When the public thought of the Jedi, they probably thought of them as diplomats negotiating a peace treaty between warring planets or fighting bands of pirates, but what Jedi did more than anything else was meditate. It was a habit instilled on Jedi younglings from their earliest days, Initiates were expected to meditate at least five times a day and Padawans were encouraged to meditate whenever they had a spare moment. It was very much the Jedi way to spend hours of each day submerged in meditation.

Group meditation was something Sascha had always been fond of, it was one of the few skills he was good at, his natural empathy and the closeness that he had developed with his clanmates, the Jedi he would often meditate with, were of great use when trying to hold together a group meditation. It was easy with Luminara and Aurine as well, partially because the Jedi Knights were more powerful and disciplined than his old clanmates and partially because all three Jedi shared a connection. Aurine's and Luminara's connection is the most powerful, the most practiced, Sascha and his Master's connection is strong but largely untested, and his connection with Luminara is only weak because they haven't spent that much time together.

Still, the meditation hums along nicely, no one really leads, but each Jedi contributes in their own way. Luminara's composed calm, Aurine's powerful focus, and Sascha's deep empathy combine and swirl through them, creating something more powerful than they could achieve on their own.

He brings into the meditation his fear of not being ready for this mission. Quickly, it is quashed by Luminara and Aurine, who project their confidence in him to support him and each showed him memories of his successes to buttress him further.

Aurine brings her fear that she is letting her old ways seep back in, that she is rushing into danger because she wants to, not because it is the best course of action. Luminara confidently rebuffs that idea, letting Aurine know, wordlessly that she wouldn't let her slip back to her old ways, for his part he projects the sureness that he has in his Master, forged by months of working together in tandem.

There is a silent, timeless pause where Aurine and Sascha wait for Luminara to bring in a fear or reservation of her own, but sensing that she will not, a deep sense of amusement permeates the meditation. Luminara gives a formless, shapeless shrug as if to say 'sorry, I'll remember to bring a flaw next time.'

Confidence churns in the connection, each Jedi bringing forward the confidence they have in themselves, in each other, in their training, it rushes through Sascha, a deep, strong sense of faith, of pure conviction. Their meditation ends, and he thinks about how strong and deep that meditation had been. He'd been in group meditations led by Master Yoda when he was younger and while that had been a powerful experience of its own, it didn't seem to have the resonance that this meditation had. Of course he didn't have to lead soldiers an hour after meditating with Yoda either.

The Jedi stand, and without a cue, recite the Jedi code, three voices as one:

_There is no emotion, there is peace_

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge_

_There is no passion, there is serenity_

_There is no chaos, there is harmony_

_There is no death, there is the Force_


	22. Narvis Rock

To Sascha, the final hour before the Kuati Pride emerged at the Larkin Asteroid Cluster seemed to fly by, despite a whirlwind of last second adjustments. It seemed to him that only a few minutes ago there had been an hour before they emerged from hyperspace, but here he was in a shuttle, ready to be deployed. It was unlike any situation that he had faced in the Jedi Temple, and while he knew that his training at the Temple was mostly theoretical and his apprenticeship was supposed to be practical, he was jarred at the difference between the two.

He glanced behind him, looking at 'his' squad. Falcon squad was evenly divided between men and women, though each of its members was older than him by several years at the very least. Right now, each soldier was checking a fellow soldier's equipment, making sure that his or her blaster rifle, helmet and armor were all properly equipped. There was some minor grumbling about their blaster rifles being set to stun, but it was more of an issue about how the 'stun' setting on their blaster rifles lowered the rate of fire and drained the power pack faster than wanting to gun down a bunch of pirates.

Sascha found it a bit odd that the soldiers wore armor that wouldn't stop a blaster bolt, but he supposed their armor might do some good against minor grazes and shrapnel. His personal goal for this mission was to make sure no one on his squad took more than a minor graze.

He picked his lightsaber off the loop on his belt and stared at it for a long moment. With a deep sigh, he turned the power setting on his lightsaber from 'burn' to full power. Though he'd had his lightsaber by his side for several years now, he'd never had to change the power setting, never had to change his only possession from a tool to a weapon. It had always been a weapon of course, but until now, it had been something he'd just sparred or practiced with, now it was potentially something he could kill with. Sascha Whitestar was not looking forward to that possibility.

His Master clambered on board the shuttle. Like him, she had discarded her brown overrobe, choosing to wear just her beige tunic. Her hair was tied in a tight ponytail and her expression showed none of the cheerfulness he had come to associate with her, this was, for lack of a better description, 'warrior' Aurine. As she passed by him, she gave his shoulders a light squeeze, "Did you change the setting on your lightsaber?"

"Yes," he said flatly.

"It's okay. Every Jedi in history has probably felt a similar sense of disquiet when they did that for the first time."

"I guess I'm joining the club then." It did not feel like a communal moment to Sascha.

Aurine patted him on the back lightly and went to discuss something with the Sergeant of her squad – Phalanx squad.

The indication of the Kuati Pride's reversion to realspace came with only the slightest of shudders, a testament to the quality of the ship's engineering. According to the plan, the Kuati Pride was now transmitting a message to Narvis Rock asking all inhabitants to return to their rooms and submit for inspection by the Republic Judicials (played by the Kuati Security Force), and the Jedi. How well their instructions would be heeded was anyone's guess.

The pilot at the front of the shuttle leaned over and shouted back towards the soldiers, "We've got clearance to launch! Everyone get ready! I don't know how rocky a trip this is going to be." While the two squads of soldiers rushed for the seats and the restraints that would keep them secure, he and his Master nonchalantly stayed standing.

When the shuttle in front of them lifted off, which carried Luminara and two squads of Kuati Security Force soldiers, he braced himself carefully, letting the slight insight he received from the Force tell him how to keep himself upright. When the shuttle lifted off from the deck of the Kuati Pride, everyone swayed lightly with the movement, except the two Jedi.

"Looks like the laws of physics don't apply to the Jedi!" shouted Sergeant Hoskin.

Aurine had explained to him earlier that these subtle displays of power were very useful in keeping up morale. Her exact quote had been, "I mean, who doesn't want to go into battle led by a superhero."

Still, if anything, Sascha was a very hesitant superhero right now. His Master and Luminara had both talked about receiving a premonition of danger through the Force, and now he could feel a little hint of danger through the Force too. It frightened him slightly, to be going knowingly towards danger. So many of these little experiences were new to him – almost everything over the past few days had been a 'first' for him. The fact that he seemed to be doing well gave him a little confidence, but there was still a big cloud of self-doubt hanging around in his subconscious.

As the shuttle made its unopposed approach to Narvis Rock, he absentmindedly touched his Padawan braid, felt that the teal and emerald ribbons were still entwined into it, then unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and joined his beige robed Master at the aft docking tube.

The tube, a simple magnetized conduit, provided the Jedi and their troops an access point to the docking bay on Narvis Rock, and ensured that if docking bay's atmosphere was vented by the defenders, the Jedi would be not subject to explosive decompression, which was a means of death Sascha very much wanted to avoid.

As Sascha felt the shuttle turn and drop in altitude, his nervousness overwhelmed his mental barriers and the hands that were gripping his lightsaber suddenly started to shake. Noticing that her Padawan was having trouble keeping his composure, Aurine sent him a bit of reassurance through the Force, and he used that reassurance to push aside his unhelpful feelings and keep himself focused on the task at hand. Stay focused on the now, he said to himself silently.

With a jolt that echoed throughout the small shuttle and the whirring sound that indicated that the docking tube was being extended, it was time to see what Narvis Rock had in store for them. Master Brynar ignited her green blade and he ignited his teal one a second later. Climbing into the tube, he could see down towards docking bay that they were about to enter. There were a couple of rough looking humanoids looking down the tube, readying blasters.

They're about to fire at us! Sascha realized with a start. For the first time in his life, someone fired a blaster in anger towards him. His Master swatted the red bolt of death aside easily, pushing forward towards the end of the tube. "Looks like we are doing this the hard way, Padawan," she shouted.

He kept close to his Master, concentrating on her movements, for the most part just trying not to impale his Master with his own blade. The incoming fire was weak and sporadic, just a couple of idiots trying to take down a Jedi, he realized.

The equation soon changed as one of their attackers tossed a grenade into the tube. He reached out in the Force for it a second after his Master did – and even as she blocked the incoming laser fire, she used the Force to push the grenade back down the tube where it exploded, dissuading any further attempt to use grenades against the Jedi.

The incoming fire petered out and then stopped completely. Evidently, their attackers figured out that this was not an engagement that was going to work for them. Emerging from the tube and into Narvis Rock proper, Sascha was greeted by a former mining station in chaos. A few very stubborn beings were firing at Luminara, and while she calmly deflected the blasts, the KSF troops behind her simply picked off the attackers with well-aimed stun bolts.

When that was finished, Luminara came over to conference with Aurine, "It looks like diplomacy isn't going to work."

His Master's mouth twitched, "Unfortunate. But we should get moving towards the main computer. If there is incriminating evidence, I don't want anyone being able to erase it."

The Miralian nodded, "Lead the way."

The two Jedi shouted for their squads and the Kuati troops formed up quickly. Aurine's Phalanx squad and Luminara's Charger squad started down a large corridor towards the main computer. Sascha's own Falcon squad formed up around him, while the fourth squad, Vortex squad, got to work in making an impromptu basecamp that would protect the two shuttles and process potential prisoners.

With the eyes of his squad on him, he didn't want to seem like he had nothing for them to do, "Give Phalanx and Charger squad some time. We'll follow them in a moment. For now assist Vortex squad in securing our base of operations." Nods greeted his first official order as a Jedi.

With a spare moment, he opened himself up to the Force briefly and felt himself being pulled towards what appeared to be a makeshift cantina. He started walking over when he heard Sergeant Hoskin shout, "Commander Whitestar, where are you going? Do you need backup?"

"I'm just going to check this out," he replied to the KSF man, who now towered over him even more, thanks to the red and gold armor the Sergeant was wearing.

He walked over on his own, searching for what had pulled him in this direction. As he approached the ramshackle cantina, he got a better look at it. Honestly, calling it a cantina at all was proving to be a bit of an overstatement, it was more like a hodgepodge of furniture that was thrown together. Tables were aligned in a scattershot fashion, and the only server appeared to be a nearly rusted out protocol droid. The small sign above the bar indicated this place was called the 'Last Call,' though in Sascha's estimation it appeared to be on its last legs.

As he perused the perimeter of the Last Call, a few patrons launched insults his way. A couple drunks chose to insult his mother in very colourful language. He might have felt insulted by the insults, had he been able to recall one memory he'd actually shared with his mother.

Besides those that insulted him, most of the other patrons just stared at him, wondering why he was here. He was about to turn and head back to his squad, when a particularly inebriated looking Rodian, his multifaceted eyes seemingly almost glazed over, stood up and marched towards him, "Hey, youngling, you old enough to be holding that laser sword of yours?"

The other patrons seemed to pay particular interest as to how he'd respond to the Rodian. Sascha ignored him, continuing to scan the cantina for anyone who might with to interrupt the ongoing operation. He probed the crowd to see if he could find any malicious intent amongst the cantina patrons. He sensed some anger and fear but much more curiosity about why the Judicials and the Jedi had decided today of all days to make an appearance on Narvis Rock.

Oblivious to his lack of interest in him, the Rodian continued, "Do you know who commands here? You're going to be crying for your mother when he's done with you!"

Content that the cantina was merely full of drunks that had no will or ability to interrupt the mission, he turned and headed back towards the makeshift base being set up by the KSF. "I bet you that Tu Dronos will give me a big reward if I kill the Jedi…" Sascha probably wasn't supposed to have heard that, but the Rodian was clearly inebriated and couldn't modulate his voice very well.

He felt danger in the Force, ignited his lightsaber and turned perfectly to intercept the blaster bolt fired by the Rodian, redirecting it away harmlessly. Sascha glanced at the assembled crowd, and older Twi'lek got the idea, taking away the Rodian's blaster and sitting him down. He tossed the Twi'lek a little salute before heading back to his squad.

The Rodian pushed his Twi'lek friend and slurred loudly, "Did you see that? The Jedi are magic I tell you…magic." Well at least the Rodian would have a good story to tell, if he could even recall what happened after he shook off his inevitable hangover.

When he reached his squad, Sascha caught the attention of Sergeant Hoskin and indicated that it was time to follow Charger and Phalanx squad further into Narvis Rock. "Falcon squad, move out!" came the bellowed command from Sergeant Hoskin. Quickly the soldiers jumped into action, falling into formation and putting their blaster rifles at the ready. Sascha led the ten soldiers down the corridor, his teal lightsaber a beacon of light to be followed.

The lighting of the corridor could only be described as sporadic; clearly, no one had been keen on doing maintenance for a long time. Narvis Rock had been built as a utilitarian mining base and it was completely evident to Sascha as he walked down the hall, all the corridors were at right angles – simple four way intersections. The walls were just gray with no adornment besides the light fixtures; it almost had a certain amount of monotony to it. It seemed like whoever commissioned the construction of Narvis Rock had hired the least creative engineering team in the galaxy to create this place.

After a few nervous moments of him almost jumping at every movement and shadow, he paused at a closed door. By the messages being broadcast by the Kuati Pride – all doors were supposed to be kept open, so keeping the door closed was an act of defiance. When he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could sense three or four beings in the room behind the door, no particular malicious intent came from the beings, but he wasn't in the mood for taking chances. He rapped loudly on the door, "Open this door in the name of the Republic and the Jedi Council," Sascha shouted, perhaps a bit grandiosely.

There was no response. He indicated that his squad should seek cover, and the KSF troops scrambled for what little cover was available in the hallway.

Before he could force an entry, the door swung open quickly and Sascha was greeted by a pair of blaster bolts being fired at him, which he instinctively deflected into the ceiling, though not without some difficulty.

"You are Jedi!" said an accented voice from inside the room, "Don't shoot, I surrender."

Sascha swept into the room, his lightsaber held in a guard position and said, "Of course I'm a Jedi, that's what the message we've been broadcasting for the last ten minutes says!" He identified the beings in the room as a family of Kubaz, bipedal humanoids from Kubindi, notable for their prehensile facial snouts that were used for reaching insects within the hives of their planet. The room was obviously a family dwelling, but it seemed tiny for a family of three.

The male Kubaz that fired at Sascha surrendered his blaster to him, and gave the Jedi a look of deep sorrow, "That's what some pirates said a few years back when they raided this place. They knocked on the door just like you did and said they were Jedi – they were certainly dressed like Jedi, so we opened the door. But when they came in…it was clear that they had duped us. They took all of our possessions."

"Pirates pretended to be Jedi?" Sascha blurted. It was unfathomable to his young mind that even pirates could stoop so low. He recovered his composure, "Why are you even here? Isn't Narvis Rock a place for unsavory characters?"

The Kubaz gave a heartfelt sigh, "We fled Kubindi five years ago, our transport was supposed to take us to Coruscant but they brought us here instead, we don't have the credits to leave… so we work here now. I'm just trying to protect my family, making due the best we can." The Kubaz was obviously being truthful, his desperation in the Force was so acute it was almost painful to the young Padawan.

"I will see what I can do for you and your family later, just please keep the door open, we are in command of the station, you will be safe." Sascha had no more time to spend with the Kubaz, he had to press on, lest the gap between the assault force led by Luminara and Aurine and the reserves grow too large. He needed to be close in case his Master needed him, and though he would like to help the Kubaz, he had a greater responsibility to follow.

As he continued down the hallways after the two Jedi Knights, he paused for a moment to stretch out with his senses towards his Master. He easily connected with her, his bond with Aurine seemed to be at least as strong as the one he had with Tyra. He got the sense that there was continuing skirmishing between the Jedi and the denizens of Narvis Rock, but his Master still seemed completely confident. He took that as a good sign.

Falcon squad continued down the corridor, pausing at each door and intersection, wary of any potential traps. At yet another intersection, a tiny Chadra-Fan poked her head out, her tiny hands held up in a gesture of surrender, "Jedi! I have to talk to you!" she said.

Her high-pitched voice evidently startled one of the soldiers of Falcon squad, and Sascha reacted instantly, pushing away the barrel of the blaster rifle with a controlled Force shove so that instead of the blue stun bolt catching the small rodent in the chest, it barely whizzed by her.

Sascha got right into the soldiers face, which must have looked absurd to an onlooker, given that he was more than half a foot smaller, nearly a hundred pounds lighter and at least ten years younger than the armored Kuati. "Have you lost your mind, soldier? Firing at an unarmed Chadra-Fan? Does she seem like a threat to you?"

"The weapon is on stun, sir," the soldier replied robotically.

He was so incredulous at that idiotic response he could hardly summon the words to continue yelling at the soldier, but he was spared by the appearance of Sergeant Hoskin, "I'll handle this, commander, talk to the Chadra-Fan." He nodded, seeing that the soldier that had fired seemed much more cowed by the Sergeant, than him.

A few other soldiers to their credit were helping the somewhat shell-shocked Chadra-fan regain some of her composure. He crouched beside the Chadra-Fan, bringing her almost to his eye level, "I'm Padawan Sascha Whitestar, you wanted to talk to me?"

The Chadra-Fan's wide green eyes looked into his, "Yes, I needed to tell you that you are walking into a trap…Tu Dronos knows the Jedi are coming. He has something prepared for them, I saw a bunch of his cronies moving cargo boxes down the corridor a few days ago, and no one is allowed to go near them. I don't know what kind of trap it's supposed to be, but I heard some of his thugs talking about how the 'Jedi won't see it coming.'"

Sascha was stunned, Tu Dronos knew they were coming? That didn't seem possible. "How do you know this? Why are you telling me?"

The Chadra-Fan shifted with some discomfort, "I haven't always made the best life decisions, that's why I'm here after all. I belong here, I deserve to be here, but I always believed in the Jedi and I don't want to see that lunatic Dronos wipe any of you out. The galaxy is a bad enough place as is, even with all the Jedi." The Chadra-Fan grinned nervously, "Plus, if Jedi die, they tend to send more Jedi to investigate, and I…um, don't think that is good for my business here, if you catch my drift."

He was barely paying attention to the small creature anymore, he was more focused on searching in the Force, trying to detect if this nameless Chadra-Fan was deceiving him. His skill in sensing deception was not well honed, but the Chadra-Fan seemed to be telling the truth.

Knowing that this information needed to be passed along to his Master, he used his wrist communicator to his Master. The growing length of time it took Aurine to an answer her comlink caused anxiety to rise in his chest. Faintly he could feel in the Force that things were getting much tenser wherever his Master was. Finally, after an agonizing wait, a response came from the comm unit, "I'm a little busy, Padawan," said Aurine, though Sascha heard the distinct sounds of battle through the comlink as well.

"Master I have reasonable intel that suggests that you are being led into a trap, I believe we should considering falling back and reconsidering our plan."

"Negative, can't sense a trap, we are making good progress, though the number of idiots trying to fire at us is increasing," came the distracted reply from Aurine.

In the background to the comm, he heard an explosion and then a split second later heard it echo down through the corridors. "Master, are you still there?" There was no response, but Sascha could detect a clear change in her presence in the Force, her breezy confidence had been replaced by a much more desperate disposition.

"Padawan, maybe you should…argh!" His Master's cry of pain jolted his heart into overdrive. Through his connection to his Master, he could tell that she had been hurt, but he could not determine by what or how badly.

"Master? Master?" he said frantically into the comlink.

Only static responded now.

He was frozen by indecision and fear for a moment, wondering what he should do. Should he rush alone to his Master's aid? Go back up the corridor and collect more reinforcements? Thousands of potential responses whizzed through his mind, each offering a number of pros and cons. How could he decide what the right thing to do was?

"Choose and act," he whispered to himself.

His mind made up, his controlled his frantic breathing and pointed at four of his Falcon squad soldiers, "You four, you are with me. We are moving to support the main force." He pointed to Sergeant Hoskin, "Sergeant you have command of Falcon squad, follow me as you see fit." Sascha didn't wait for any objections to his orders, he merely took off down the corridor as fast as his legs would take him.

He had always been a naturally fast runner, even being shorter than an average human. With his muscles being strengthened by use of the Force, he was extremely fast. With the adrenaline running through his veins and the desperation of his Master palpable through the Force, he was blindingly fast. He left the four soldiers that were attempting to follow him behind with ease and went forward alone sending reassurance to his Master that he was coming and hoping frantically that he wasn't going to be too late.


	23. Traps Set, Prices Paid

Sascha's leg muscles burned as he pushed himself to his physical limit, sprinting down the hallway at an inhuman pace. As he went down the corridor, he passed by the unmoving bodies of a couple of KSF troopers, and he tried not to think about what that meant.

The corridor widened the further down he went, until he reached a point where it became a large, wide-open space. It was here he got his first view of the tableau of battle.

The defenders of Narvis Rock had fallen back repeatedly until they reached a dead end, just in front of the main computer control room. That was where they had sprung their trap. The defenders had used the air ducts to sneak soldiers into advantageous positions and unveiled an E-web heavy repeating blaster to keep the Jedi and Kuati force pinned down. Luminara's squad was pinned to the left side of the room, clinging to what little cover they could find. Aurine's squad was pinned to the other side of the room; they had it a little better when it came to the available cover, using some discarded cargo containers to hide behind, but still, the situation was not good.

In Sascha's estimation, it was unfortunate that the two Jedi Knights were separated. With two Jedi operating together, each could cover for the other, making it nearly impossible for a blaster bolt to land. Separated, Jedi were still formidable fighters, but even Jedi had limits.

Both Jedi Knights were fighting desperately, trying to protect the troopers that simply could not get behind cover, but the amount of incoming fire was testing even Jedi reflexes. Aurine's robe now featured a blackened area just below her right hip, while Luminara's Miralian garments were badly tattered, and a small scalp wound had blood trickling down her olive-skinned face.

Aurine and Luminara looked for opportunities to go on the attack, but leaping into a well-defended defensive position like the one currently facing them was essentially suicide, unless they could do it together, and there just wasn't enough time for that level of coordination.

In a different situation, Sascha would have appreciated the good use of defensive tactics by the pirates. It was a classic tactical manoeuvre, harass the enemy, make them overconfident and then spring the trap when the attackers have moved too far away from their reserves. He had a perfect view for what was going to complete the trap that had ensnared the Jedi.

A formation of OOM series battle droids, famous for their service as security and crew for Trade Federation vehicles, marched with mechanical precision towards the beleaguered Jedi position. Coming from behind the two Jedi Knights and their squads, the droids completed a classic envelopment strategy that now had the Jedi position surrounded.

Sascha tried to will himself to go faster, to interrupt what was inevitably going to happen, but he was behind the droid formation by some meters and even waving his teal lightsaber did not distract the droids from their task. He was nothing but a helpless bystander forlornly waving a teal laser sword.

The droids opened fire on Aurine's position, focusing their fire on the soldiers that had cover from the pirates, but not the flanking droid force.

Bravely Aurine, her hair glistening with sweat, rose to meet the incoming fire from the flank. Evan as inhumanly fast as she whirled her green blade to intercept the incoming fire, there was simply too many laser bolts coming in her direction. Two red bolts pierced through her guard, and he saw his Master collapse and her presence in the Force suddenly fade.

"Nooooooo!" yelled a male voice. It took a half second for Sascha to realize that the voice was his own. Abandoning all good sense, self-preservation and tactics, he gathered the Force around him and lept in to the flanking battle droid formation. There was only one purpose on his mind, getting to his Master, and these droids were in his way.

Battle droids were many things; cheap, efficient, and reliable, but they were also stupid. A being with a functioning central cortex would have realized that the threat of a Jedi jumping in to the formation of droids was one that needed to be dealt with now, and not later. A being that was smart would have realized that Sascha had overextended himself and was leaping in alone, and from distance, which would make it easier than usual for the droids to penetrate his defences.

Fortunately for him, battle droids were not programmed for such things. Battle droids were little more than blasters, sensors, a targeting computer and a processing unit to put that all together, attached to a spindly frame. The battle droid sensors only indicated that the being leaping towards them was a 'melee attacker' and thus was not a high priority compared to those with blasters. The threat assessment changed as he closed the gap to the formation, but only a few droids were commanded to fire at him, and he was able to avoid and deflect those bolts.

Whirling his blade around in a defensive pattern to deflect the incoming fire, he greeted the first battle droid he met with a force-powered kick that carried the spindly droid bodily into and through several of the other droids around it. His teal blade then deflected a pair of blaster bolts, one harmlessly away, another into the head of an unfortunately positioned droid, sending it crashing to the ground, sparking.

As he committed himself fully to the Force, Sascha noticed something interesting about the battle droids. Apparently, they were programmed not to fire at an angle that would hit a fellow droid, which was likely a simple programming measure that prevented droids from damaging their formation mates. But with Sascha inside the formation itself, it became a terrible weakness, because he could use the battle droids themselves as cover.

Losing track of time and himself, he furiously slashed, parried, kicked and impaled at a blinding speed, not motivated by pain or anger, but by the bond with his Master, something that he feared that could very soon be over. He didn't let himself dwell on that thought.

For all their weaknesses, there were still advantages to using battle droids. They didn't have morale or self-preservation instincts, whereas a group of soldiers would likely have broken and run after seeing half of their compatriots slaughtered with apparent ease, the battle droids fought to the very last droid. Eventually, the four soldiers from Falcon squad that Sascha had left behind came upon the scene of the battle and helped him dispatch what was left of the droids.

The flanking forces destroyed, Sascha sprinted to his Master's side, ignore the blaster fire pinging around him. Right now, he didn't care about the battle or anyone else, he just cared about getting to Aurine's side and using his talent in the Force to heal her. The soldiers of Aurine's Phalanx squad had heroically pulled the wounded Jedi from her exposed position to what little cover they had left. Sascha ducked into that cover and got a good look at Master Brynar.

His Master was sitting down, being propped up by a stack of cargo boxes against her back. Her eyes were closed lightly, her face was deathly pale, but she was still breathing, even if every breath came with a wheezing rattle. Somehow, she was still clinging tenuously to consciousness, but when he tapped her cheek and called her name, there was no response beyond a slight fluttering of her eyelids. He couldn't bear to look down at where she had been wounded. Sascha knew how serious her wounds were through the Force, and he figured that if he received visual confirmation, it would only distract him.

He prepared himself to begin using the Force to heal his Master, mentally cataloging what he'd have to do to stabilize her. Absentmindedly he heard a soldier asking for instructions. He ignored the soldier. His Master was worth a thousand soldiers and he needed to save her right now.

Suddenly, Aurine's glassy eyes snapped to his, and she grabbed a hold of his collar with a bloodied hand. Aurine spoke weakly, but clearly "Help Luminara…the mission comes first…." As if those words took the last of her strength, she collapsed into unconsciousness, her head lolling against a box that was supporting her.

Sascha stared blankly at his unconscious Master for a good few seconds, ignoring the questions of the soldiers around him. He wasn't prepared for any of this. He had never felt like more of a fraud in his life. Here he was on his first mission, and his Master, a woman that had specifically chosen him to be her apprentice, lay dying in front of him, and yet he couldn't decide what to do!

Time seemed to slow down again for Sascha. As he glanced around the chaotic battlefield, the part of his brain that had absorbed all of Aurine's lessons on tactics started processing. He could see that the situation was turning grimly desperate. Luminara and her squad were now under heavy pressure, and without a way to alleviate the constant attacks it was only a matter of time before their position would collapse. Tactically speaking, now was the time to gather the remnants of Aurine's squad, the reinforcements he had brought and attack.

Sascha took a look around at the soldiers around him. He couldn't see their faces, their helmets prevented that, but he could feel their fear, their indecision. They had seen a Jedi cut down right in front of them, and now he was providing barely any leadership. If the Jedi had set themselves up as heroic figures to these Kuatis, watching their heroes fall was incredibly damaging to morale.

But if he led the attack, he couldn't heal his Master. She would lie against these crates in this Force forsaken asteroid, dying.

What was the right choice? His Master or his mission?

Sascha Whitestar made his choice. He had to be bigger than this, he had to ignore the part of his brain that was screaming at him to stay and help his Master, even if that meant that…that he'd never see her alive again. It was obvious what his Master wanted, and obvious what the right thing to do was.

Sascha pointed to four of Aurine's Phalanx squad, "Take her and any wounded to the Kuati Pride, do not stop for anyone, understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

He stood and ignited his lightsaber, "Everyone else, follow me. We are going to finish this."

With Luminara's squad taking the brunt of the fire, Sascha was able to lead his reinvigorated forces forward. "The E-web!" he shouted as some of the fire started to come towards him, "take it out!" The heavy repeating blaster was the main threat to the Jedi-led force. Mounted on a tripod and manned by a gunner and a spotter, the E-web blaster, had a high rate of fire, and it was being used liberally to keep the KSF soldiers from advancing.

From behind him, the red-gold armored Kuati's focused their fire towards the tripod and the gunner, a fierce looking Zabrak, was hit by a succession of stun bolts, sending him into blissful unconsciousness. When the Rodian spotter tried to get take over the gunnery position, a similar fusillade of fire dropped him as well.

"Forward!" shouted Luminara. Her beleaguered squad advanced as well, relishing the chance to put the pressure back on the defenders of Narvis Rock

As the Kuati troops pressed forward, they used the two Jedi as a mobile shield, picking off pirates with precision shooting. Sascha, his teeth gritted, was having trouble deflecting all of the incoming fire, and if to underscore that, a blaster bolt whizzed right by his arm, missing him by such a small margin that he could actually feel the heat from the laser as it passed. He quickly thanked the Force for all the training he had done in deflecting blaster fire in the Jedi Temple, because he needed all of it today.

As the Jedi advanced, the tide of the battle turned, and now it was the mercenary forces that were losing the morale war. The Kuati and Jedi forces had come through the ambush, and though their numbers were lessened, they were still advancing. The pose of Tu Dronos may have been able to set a clever trap, but with the trap destroyed, they did not have another tactic that would allow them to combat the professional Kuati soldiers.

As the incoming fire towards him petered out, Master Unduli used a small opening to jump onto the offensive, causing several nearby pirates to surrender rather than be carved by a lightsaber. Sascha saw the huge, armored form of what must have been the Phindian, Tu Dronos avoid blaster fire and escape into the main computer control room, their ultimate objective.

Sascha, seeing his opportunity, leaped towards one the last of the bastions of resistance. Surrounded by a pair of Jedi, only a few mercenaries attempted to fire their blasters. Sascha parried a couple of incoming bolts and then stepped into range to use his lightsaber. As a collective, the pirates simply lost their nerve, with most of them dropping their weapons and falling to their knees.

Sascha didn't even have time to think about what to do with their prisoners, Luminara immediately took control of the changed tactical landscape, "Charger squad, secure the prisoners. Falcon squad, Padawan, you're with me, we're going after Dronos and the main control room."

Sascha moved to obey her without even thinking consciously about it. That was probably for the best, when he had a second to think, he had time to think about what happened to his Master and those less fortunate KSF troops, and that could only lead to distraction. Or worse. He had seen how things could get worse.

Luminara, her minor scalp wound making her look more fearsome than he had thought possible, turned to him, "Ready? We need to subdue Dronos. We need him alive." Luminara gripped her lightsaber tighter, "We need to know who gave him the information that we were coming."

Not trusting himself to speak, he merely nodded.

With a quick movement, Luminara swept into the main computer room, Sascha right behind her. He had expected to be confronted with blaster fire, but were only greeted by four very different looking beings. He recognized Tu Dronos instantly; his massive size was an obvious giveaway. Tu had dark green skin and the usual long arms of a Phindian, which given his size made them quite long. He was covered from his neck to his feet by an impressively decorated set of green and black armor, pretty much useless against a lightsaber, of course, but impressive looking nonetheless. His companions were a golden furred Bothan, a blue skinned Twi'lek and a smaller Phindian that looked like he may have been related to Tru Dronos, Sascha surmised that these might be his Lieutenants.

Luminara pointed her green lightsaber at the massive Phindian and spoke in a clear, authoritative voice, "Surrender, pirate. You are surrounded, there is no escape." Behind her, the remaining KSF troops were getting into good firing position using the door as cover; it seemed that this fight was over.

The Phindian did something that Sascha did not expect. He laughed, heartily. Then in a deep, booming voice, he said, "Surrender? Why I'm just getting started, my little Jedi intruders." The Phindian pressed a button on his gauntlet and without warning the door slammed shut, leaving the two Jedi cut off from their support. Sascha swallowed hard, it seemed like the fighting was not over yet.

The Phindian gestured to his compatriots, "The youngling is mine. Whoever claims the other Jedi gets a bonus," Tu Dronos gave the Jedi a feral smile "A large bonus." Sascha looked over at Luminara, waiting for a signal for what to do. If his Master had been here, he would have been able to sense her intentions, but he and Luminara lacked that degree of connection.

The Phindian and his companions drew the last weapon Sascha would have expected, four similarly ornate silver swords. Sascha was more than a little surprised to see such anachronistic weapons being unveiled. He admitted that given the length of the Phindian's arms it gave Dronos a serious edge in reach, but considering a lightsaber would slice it easily, it wasn't exactly the weapon Sascha would have chosen to fight a Jedi. With a blaster you might be able to overwhelm a Jedi's defences if you used your fire effectively, but a sword was just a melee weapon that would easily be cut by a lightsaber.

While a one on one confrontation with Tu Dronos suited him just fine, he pressed his back against Luminara's a typical defensive stance that Jedi often used when combating multiple opponents.

"Cute how you Jedi stick together," the Phindian taunted, "we'll just have to separate you then." Tu Dronos pressed another button on his gauntlet. Sascha felt his danger sense flare and he lept instinctively away from where he felt the danger coming from. Some sort of explosive device went off where he had just been standing, its shrapnel tearing through the bottom part of his robe and into his leg. Sascha grimaced at the jolt of pain in his leg and then he soon had another reason to grimace when he realized that he had lept the opposite way that Luminara had. The three lieutenants of Tu Dronos were moving to attack her, and Sascha found himself out of position to help the Miralian.

The imposing Phindian pointed at him and smiled, "You see how the galaxy bends to my will youngling. I wanted you to myself, and here you are." He felt pretty confident that the galaxy wouldn't be bending to Tu Dronos' will for much longer. Sascha made a quick plan to deal with Dronos, one quick attack to lop off the business end of his sword and then another attack targeting a vulnerable limb, and it would be over.

Sascha darted in with a quick crossbody strike, trying to force his opponent to parry. The long-limbed, armored form of Tu Dronos obliged him, bringing the metallic, silver sword to a guard position. Sascha's teal lightsaber met the sword of Tu Dronos…and stopped.

Astonished that his lightsaber had failed to cut through the weapon of the Phindian, he hesitated for a moment, and that hesitation cost him. Tu Dronos caught him with a powerful kick that knocked him into the air, landing on a control panel. He hit the metallic panel back first, and his head bounced off of something hard, momentarily stunning him and making stars float in front of his eyes. Only a premonition of incoming danger allowed him to roll off the control panel and away from the Phindian's next slashing attack.

He got back to his feet and stumbled dizzily to his knees almost immediately. Sascha parried a crushing downward strike from Tu Dronos and backed away trying to gather his wits. His collision with the control panel had done serious damage to him, he felt as though he was thinking through a thick fog, thoughts were hard to form, his body was slow to react and his senses were dulled.

The Phindian kept coming at Sascha however, shouting something loudly that he currently lacked the ability to comprehend. Tu Dronos hacked at him with a clubbing blow that he barely managed to push aside, yet the tip of the Phindian's silver blade sliced down his left leg, opening up a gash and sending another shock of pain through his body.

Sascha swayed heavily on his feet, he was still having difficulty thinking straight and seemed unable to command his body to do anything other than parry desperately. Dronos, knowing that he had a hurt opponent in front of him, kept the pressure on, not allowing him to recover his senses. Sascha tried to use the Force to push the Phindian back, he knew that he needed some time and space to clear his mind or to join Luminara. Yet, his control of telekinesis failed him, his push was so weak it only sent the Phindian back a short distance.

Sascha felt his confidence eroding quickly. He had never been this badly hurt before. His leg was ablaze with pain, his head hurt and his breaths were coming in short gasping breaths.

Blinking something hot and warm out of his eyes, he parried another attack from Dronos, but wildly and sloppily. Taking advantage of his lightsaber being out of position, Dronos nailed him in the face with his armored gauntlet, bloodying his nose and splitting his lip. He fell to one knee, but managed to scramble out of the way of Dronos' next attack, which left a chair neatly divided into two parts.

Sascha felt his limit fast approaching. He knew that he had to do something, but with the room spinning around him he didn't know what he could do. Yet it was that effect that crystalized an idea in his mind.

Sascha gathered what control of the Force that he had left to give him the strength to jump over the Phindian's armored frame, barely avoiding a slash that would have likely cut him in two. As he was jumping, he twisted his body around, bringing his lightsaber across his body in a circular motion. He felt his lightsaber cut through something solid.

Sascha was so exhausted that he botched the landing, his injured leg unable to support his weight and he crashed hard to the floor in a very un-Jedi like way, causing him to grunt in pain. He was able to rise from that impact. He glanced at what had become of his opponent and blanched. Tu Dronos would not be rising from his wounds anytime soon, the Phindian's armor was still intact, the Phindian himself was not.

With an effort of pure will, he managed to ignore the pain that was racking his body and drag himself upright with the assistance of a nearby chair. He looked over at Luminara, who had dispatched one of the combatants that had been confronting her, the golden furred Bothan that appeared to be counting his limbs and could only get to three. However, the Phindian and the Twi'lek were still fighting, giving a tired Luminara a hazard that she could not ignore.

Knowing that he physically couldn't intervene, he tried the next best thing, gathering what was left of his strength and attempting to Force push the Twi'lek out of position, which would allow Luminara to disarm him.

His Force push was so weak that it was more of a Force nudge, but it proved to be enough as Luminara was able to take advantage of the opening that he provided and disarmed the Twi'lek with a classic Cho mai mark of contact. He thought that the remaining Phindian might surrender given the now insurmountable odds given to him, but he actually launched into a desperate lunge that forced Luminara into a killing blow, her head shaking sadly that she was forced to take such an action.

The Miralian Jedi Knight moved quickly to make sure her opponents were well and truly out of the fight, and then motioned to Sascha, "Padawan, we must get the door open."

Sascha didn't really hear her. Well, he heard the words, but the words never got from his ears to his brain. The thick fog that had possessed his mind over the last few minutes was not dissipating. He sat heavily in a chair and wanted nothing more than to put his head down and sleep for about sixty hours.

"Sascha, can you use the control panel over there to open the door?" asked Luminara. He blinked, looking at the screen in front of him, but he could not get his eyes to focus on the screen for more than a few seconds. Though the words on the screen were in Basic, he stared at them uncomprehending. He was further distracted by the sight of his own blood dripping slowly but inexorably onto the terminal.

He decided there was an easier way to get the door open, he limped over to the door, used the Force to probe for where the locking mechanism was and just drove the teal blade of his lightsaber through it. The locking mechanism melted, and the door swung open, letting the Kuati soldiers in, blasters at the ready.

Sascha found the closest available chair and collapsed into it, totally spent.

Luminara took command, indicating that the KSF troops should take the two remaining pirates into custody so that they could be questioned later.

"What about Tu Dronos?" asked a tall soldier with a familiar voice – Sergeant Hoskin.

"Dead," he said flatly.

Luminara worked furiously at her computer station, "Sascha, help me with the computer system, we must now search it for the information we need, especially now with Dronos gone." Luminara even with her robes in tatters, and probably exhausted by her efforts in the fighting would not be delayed in the completion of the mission.

"Master Jedi, I don't think the young Jedi is in any condition to help you at the moment," said the Sergeant.

Luminara blinked and for the first time she seemed to realize that he had been injured. The Miralian swiftly moved to his side and guided him to the ground, laying him on his back. Her experienced hands quickly probed his injuries. He winced when Luminara poked at his various wounds, and almost fainted when she pressed her hand strongly against the wound on his left leg.

Luminara tapped him softly on the cheek, cuing him to open his eyes again, even minutes after his fight with Dronos, he was having a hard time getting them to focus, "Padawan, you are hurt, but you don't have a serious injury. I'm going to send you back to the Kuati Pride, but I need you to answer some questions for me first."

He nodded weakly.

"What happened in your fight with Tu Dronos?"

"I…killed him," he whispered, that realization finally, truly dawning upon him. He felt sick to his stomach, and only Luminara's calming hand stopped him from heaving the contents of his stomach on to the floor.

"Dronos is gone, and I wish it were otherwise, but I need to know if he revealed anything to you," she said insistently.

"I don't know Master Unduli, it was just chaos…his sword blocked my lightsaber and then he hit me so hard I could barely think. I don't know if he said anything past that."

Luminara's hand shook his shoulder, sending a jolt of pain searing through his body, "You remember nothing? Think back, you might be able to think more clearly now."

He was about to protest that he wasn't capable of much beyond laying on the ground, when a tall, armored figure came over and cast a shadow over the two Jedi. Sascha, half-insensible, was still able to recognize the soldier as Sergeant Hoskin, he was absurdly glad that the Kuati had come through that fight okay, "Really, Master Jedi is this necessary? The boy looks like he's been in a fight with a Rancor, and lost. And you don't look that good either, may I add. We control the station completely now, there is no rush to do things immediately. One or both of you should probably be with your other Jedi friend…I don't know what her status is."

Just thinking about how he had left his badly wounded Master in the care of four total strangers was more painful than any of his injuries, but he knew how he could find what her status was. He ignored the conversation between Luminara and the Kuati Sergeant and gathered the Force to him. He couldn't do much with the Force right now, he simply didn't have the mental capacity to use it in any meaningful way, but he could still use his bond to try to find how his Master was doing. He searched in his mind for the spot that connected him with Aurine…but it was gone. Panicked, he extended his senses, trying to find the telltale presence of his Master, but no matter how hard he looked, how far he extended his senses, he couldn't find her.

"She's gone," he whispered.

Tears welled in his eyes, and he felt like he was falling, even though he was lying on the floor. Luminara, noting his distress, knelt back down beside him, "Sascha, what's wrong?"

"I can't feel Aurine in the Force Luminara," he wailed, "Does that mean…"

Luminara's voice was still calm, though there was an undercurrent of worry, "I can still sense her, Padawan. You are merely too panicked, too weak to be able to sense her right now. You must believe, Sascha. Aurine is the toughest Jedi Knight I've ever met, I know that she will pull through this. I'll handle the search for information, you return to the Pride, be with your Master."

Sascha nodded, too hurt and too tired to argue with Luminara, but he wasn't sure he had a Master to return to.


	24. Aftershocks

Sascha lay still on the ground, trying again and again to find his Master in the Force. It wasn't that he doubted Luminara, it's just that he found it beyond strange that she could still sense Aurine, but he couldn't.

Meanwhile, Luminara was clearly intent on keeping the focus on the mission, "Sergeant Hoskin, assign a soldier to take Sascha back to the Kuati Pride please," she said.

"I'll take him myself, Master Jedi," replied Sergeant Hoskin.

Luminara nodded and went back to work at her computer terminal. He was still laying on his back trying to control his whirling emotions, when the large Kuati came to his side, "Can I help you to your feet?"

To be one hundred percent honest, he wasn't sure if he could get to his feet, or even if he did, if he could stay standing, "You can try," he responded.

The armored Kuati offered him a hand, and Sascha grabbed on, but when he pulled to bring himself up, pain racked his entire body. He would have fallen back to the ground, but the Kuati used his impressive strength to bring him to his feet. Once on his feet, he leaned against Sergeant Hoskin for support.

"Are you going to be okay to walk?" the Kuati asked.

"I'll manage," he said between gritted teeth, trying to remember the mental patterns that would allow him to use the Force to dull his pain. Somehow, even though he had been doing a technique that allowed that for years, the exact pattern remained elusive to him right now.

He limped alongside the Sergeant as they slowly retraced their steps back towards the shuttles. His left leg was still burning, he had only staunched the flow of blood with his basic Force healing ability. A little bit of blood was still dripping from his nose and split lip, and it pooled on to what had been his pristine grey robe, now they were torn and tatty. In short, he was a mess.

"Sorry for bleeding on you, Sergeant," Sascha mumbled.

"Don't worry, you get used to it in this line of work," said the Sergeant with some levity. Normally, Sascha would have smiled at the joke, but he wasn't in a mood for laughter or smiling.

The big man paused, "Listen, this will go faster if you let me carry you."

As much as he thought that it would be ignominious to be carried back to the shuttle as if he was a small child, he was simply too exhausted to protest, or care. "Okay, Sergeant."

The big Kuati showed surprising deftness and tenderness in picking him up, making sure that he wasn't jolted any more than was absolutely necessary. Sascha nestled his head into the crook of the Sargeant's arm, it wasn't exactly comfortable, given that the Kuati was armored, but he felt…safe.

The only problem was his relative comfort gave him time to think. And with time to think his thoughts inevitably drifted to the fate of his Master. Not being able to sense his Master in the Force had shaken him to his core. Since the day that Aurine had selected him to be her Padawan, he had always been able to sense her, no matter the time of day. It helped that they tended not to be far from each other, but their connection had always been there. He hadn't realized how much he missed it, how much he missed her, until she was gone. The fact that she could be gone…permanently was almost impossible to consider.

"I failed her," he whispered.

"No, you didn't," said the Kuati, his armored boots ringing steadily against the metallic floor.

"You don't get to say that," he responded angrily. "I'm a Jedi, I should have been able to save her. Instead I was too far away when she needed me."

The Kuati soldier sighed, and placed him softly on the ground in the empty corridor. Then he removed his helmet, mopping up his sweaty hair with his right hand, "Listen boy."

"I'm a Padawan!" he protested.

The Kuati shook his head, "Right now you aren't acting like one and I will address you in the manner which you are acting." The large man stabbed at him with a finger, "You acted according to the parameters given to you. I know this because your orders were my orders too. I know you're a Jedi and you are probably raised to think that things can't go wrong when you are around. Unfortunately, the galaxy is a cold dark place, and Jedi or not, you don't get to control the fate of individual people. I can guarantee that your Master knew this, I just can't figure out why she didn't teach it to you."

He closed his eyes. Everything the Kuati had said was true, and he felt like a petulant idiot in front of a man that had literally been carrying him like he was a small child. "I apologize," he said quietly, "I was out of line."

The Sergeant put his helmet back on, "Then let's get going, Padawan Whitestar." The Kuati picked him up with ease and walked without further incident to the KSF command post.

"I think I'm okay to stand now," he said as they arrived. Sascha had managed to come to grips slightly with his pain, and he thought he might be able to limp around without collapsing. Slowly, Sergeant Hoskin let him down and he tenuously got his legs under him.

"This is where I leave you then. Go be with your Master."

Sascha saluted the Kuati Sergeant, "Thank you…for everything."

The Kuati returned the salute, "Only doing my job." The Sergeant turned and headed back down into Narvis Rock.

Sascha limped onto one of the shuttles that were currently acting as ferries between Narvis Rock and the Kuati Pride. A Kuati in a KSF uniform helped him aboard the shuttle and lay him down gently, "I'm just going to give you a sedative for the pain," he said.

"I'd prefer if you didn't," he responded. He was hurting, he wouldn't deny that, but he wanted to have all his faculties when he got the news about his Master. Perhaps afterward he would need some sedatives…

The Kuati hesitated, probably not all that used to be turned down by fifteen year olds with that were obviously hurt, "I highly suggest that you reconsider."

"I'll survive without, thank you," Sascha said politely.

The Kuati hesitated again, but nodded, "Just call me over if you want them."

A short while later, the shuttle lifted from Narvis Rock and docked with the Kuati Pride. When the shuttle stopped, he dragged himself to his feet, ignoring offers of assistance and limped out into the docking bay under his own power. Standing on that clean, polished surface, surrounded by soldiers, and technicians that all seemed to have a task to attend to, he had never felt more lost. Where was he supposed to go? What was he supposed to do? Where exactly was his Master?

"Padawan Whitestar, I was told you'd be on this shuttle." Distracted, it took a second for him to place the voice of Itoma Kuat. He turned in the direction of the voice and heard an audible gasp from the Senator, "You look terrible, has no one seen to your injuries?"

Sascha doesn't exactly have access to a mirror, but he can pretty much assume that he looks ghastly. His robe had been gray when he had left the Kuati Pride, but he was pretty sure that it was gray and red now. His face was probably not quite in pristine shape either, courtesy of Tu Dronos' armored gauntlet. "I'll be fine Senator," he says tonelessly, his voice seems to belong to someone different, someone older than the boy that had left the Kuati Pride an hour ago.

The Senator paled slightly but recovers admirably, she comes and takes his hand, not worried at all that he might get blood on her nice clothes, "You must want to see you're Master. I heard they brought her in earlier, the fighting must have been dreadful."

"Yes," said Sascha simply, not trusting himself to say anything more.

Itoma seems to notice the subtle rebuke in his reply, but she doesn't comment on it, instead she leads him into the main section of the Kuati Pride. As she heads for a turbolift tube that is occupied by busy looking KSF personnel, the Senator's mere presence and authoritative bearing causes the soldiers to abandon the tube and allow Sascha and Itoma to use it instead. He was beginning to figure out how Senators seemed to lose whatever positive qualities they had as politicians on their home planet when they reached Coruscant. The sort of deferential treatment being given to Itoma was a sort of wordless power that could easily go to someone's head quite quickly.

The Senator entered in a location on the control panel and the tube shuddered slightly as it moved to its ultimate destination. The Senator turned to him,"I monitored the battle from the captain's tactical salon, it seems we owe you a great deal for turning the tide of the battle."

Why can't this turbolift go faster, Sascha wondered. He has absolutely no desire to have a conversation with Itoma about a battle that he just came from. He only cares about the fate of his Master, nothing else matters in this moment. "I simply did as I was asked, as I was trained."

The Senator patted his hand lightly, "I see. Well, I thank you for your service."

Sascha shifted uncomfortably and made no response. When the turbolift shuddered to a stop, he followed the Senator into what was obviously the medical ward of the ship. The medical ward's walls were coloured with comforting, soft hues, supposedly helpful in promoting healing, instead of the slate gray hue of the rest of the ship. The medical ward was understandably busy at the current moment, with several 2-1B medical droids treating patients in the hallway. Yet, even in the chaos of a busy medical ward, beings made sure to get out of the way of Senator Kuat as they strode towards the triage station.

The triage station is manned by a harried looking human with the insignia of a Major, which strikes Sascha as odd – shouldn't a Major be doing something more important than staffing this station? As he notices Itoma, he looks up briefly, "I see you've brought me another patient." The Major looked around, "I think we have some medical droids available soon, he's low priority I assume."

"No." Sascha's forceful pronouncement caused the Major to look up at the Jedi Padawan, "I would like to see my Master. Aurine Brynar. Take me to her."

The Major shook his head, "Can't do that. We have strict privacy rules in place for dealing with non-KSF personnel. This is especially true when revealing information to non-family members and minors."

He stares at the Major, mouth agape, unable to process how after leading KSF soldiers into battle he could be rebuffed in this simple request, "I'm a Jedi, she's my Master, I don't think she'll mind."

The Major looks to the Senator for support, but Itoma Kuat offers him none, "I think we can make an exception, Major Valenteen. This mission was accepted under the pretenses that we are representing the Republic Judicials, surely they have exceptions for working with Jedi. The Padawan may be a minor in age, but not in experience."

Major Valenteen tries again, speaking slowly and enunciating clearly, "The rules are very clear in this matter. I apologize for the inconvenience, Senator, Master Jedi, but my professional medical oath prevents me from breaking the rules. The patient always comes first."

Sacha clenched his fists by his sides. He's trying hard to retain his composure right now, and he is hoping that he doesn't have to make a scene just to get this simple request. Beside him, Senator Kuat seemed equally distressed that he is being denied this simple request and tries to reason with the Major again. He's had quite enough of this mindless bureaucracy though. He wants to see his Master. He wants to know how she is. No one here can stop him anyway.

He strides past the Major and corals a 2-1B droid, "I'm looking for Jedi Knight Aurine Brynar, could you please direct me to where she is?"

To his continuing consternation, the droid doesn't head his request and instead replies in a pleasant but robotic tone, "Sir, you are injured, please submit for examination."

The Padawan wonders what else could possibly challenge him today, first pirates, and now bureaucrats and droids. However, he has been trained to be polite in public and it is this training he draws upon, "If you would just tell me the status of Aurine Brynar I'd happily submit to examination," he said with the last of his patience.

"Negative sir, scans indicate moderate brain trauma, recommend that you be moved to an observation ward immediately."

Sascha cursed colourfully in Sluissese, letting some of his frustration out verbally in a language that he doubts anyone on this ship speaks. The MD droid's yellow eye sensors still seem to register his insults, perhaps its language module included Sluissese, "Patient is resisting treatment, proper authorities being notified, please remain calm sir."

He sees the droid's arm moving towards him with a syringe filled with a viscous clear liquid, likely a sedative of some sort. The droid is fast and accurate, but not as fast as a Jedi. Sascha grabs the droid's arm with the Force, holding it inches from his skin. The droid's arm motivators whirr in exertion, but even in his weakened state, he has no problem holding it in place. He has no intention of being denied seeing his Master, even if he has to start carving doors open with his lightsaber.

Sascha felt a hand land on his shoulder; he whirls quickly, dropping into a fighting stance, prepared to defend himself. "Whoa, young one," says a strong, melodious voice. He relaxes his fighting stance but continues hold the droid in place. He evaluated the Kuati who still has one hand on his shoulder; he's an older human, his hair a shock of grey-white, the name plate on his white uniform simply reads 'Jarvis.' His smile is friendly, disarming and he has an air of experience around him. He speaks, his tone a dulcet calm, "That's a neat trick there," he says, indicating the droid that was still being held in place by the Padawan. "I hear that you want to see your Master, she'd be the blonde Jedi Knight, right?"

"Yes, Aurine Brynar, can you take me to her?"

"Of course."

Sascha hesitated slightly; this seems almost too easy, "Isn't anyone going to stop me? I don't want to get you into trouble."

The Kuati gives him an amused look, "I think the security personnel is a little more interested in the turf war between scions of some of Kuat's most famous families. Plus, when you're a doctor in this area, people tend not to question you too much."

Sascha belatedly noticed that Itoma Kuat and Major Valenteen have gotten into a very public and very loud shouting match, insulting each others families, their intelligence and much more. It is not a pretty sight; in fact it is a fairly ugly public scene, though Sascha is very amused at how animated Itoma Kuat has become. In her file he had seen that Itoma was considered a fiery orator, and he is seeing that reputation is well-founded. The Kuati Senator is not tall, but she seems as tall as a mountain as she shouts down Major Valenteen.

The older man gestured to him, "Come on, before they know you're gone." Jarvis turned to face the droid, "MD-246, stand down, patient is with me."

"Very good, sir," the droid responds, and if Sascha didn't know any better he would swear that the droid seemed relieved.

Sascha and his savior, who he assumes is a doctor in the KSF named Jarvis, made their way out of the triage area, and towards some of the individual rooms. He asked the doctor a question "How is my Master?"

The man hesitates, clearly uncomfortable, "It might be easier if I show you." Sascha frowns, but follows him to a smaller room off the main hallway. Inside the room there are no doctors and only one droid, which confuses him, shouldn't there be a bunch of attendants in this room? He turns to ask a question, but at that point he sees Aurine. As soon as he does, he collapses on to the floor, his legs seemingly unable to hold his weight.

Aurine Brynar is suspended in a bacta tank, so named because the "miracle fluid" known as bacta, a synthetic chemical substance that seemed to be effective against almost every type of injury and ailment across an incredible cross-section of species throughout the galaxy. Her Jedi robes had been replaced by a formless gown that conceals the worst of her injuries and a breath mask that covers most of her face and breathes for her as she is submerged. All that is normal for a being in a bacta tank, what is not normal is how pale and lifeless she seems. To him it seems like they just dropped Aurine's comatose form into the bacta tank and hoped for the best. Adding to that impression is that he still can't sense her in the Force, even though she's only a few feet away from him.

"I…" He tries to vocalize something, anything. He wants to ask about her health, if she'll recover but the question dies before it reaches his lips. He summons another effort of pure will, "Is she…dead?" he asked in a trembling voice.

The doctor hesitates again and his heart nearly breaks at that moment. "When they brought her in, I thought that she was already gone, but amazingly she was clinging to life…I knew Jedi were tough…we didn't have any options, her injuries were so severe that we felt the best course of action was putting her in the bacta tank and hoping for the best."

Even through the man's professional bearing and his own profound sadness, he can tell that Jarvis is uncomfortable talking about this particular patient. Sascha supposes that not every day does he see Jedi brought before him on the brink of death. Considering half the galaxy seems to think that Jedi are immortal, invincible beings, one could see how that could shake a man's confidence. Then having to explain to the Jedi Knight's Padawan how injured they really are, how they are beyond their healers skills didn't exactly seem like a fun conversation to have, even ignoring the obvious subtext of the Jedi Knight being something of a surrogate parent to a Padawan.

Nevertheless, the Kuati continues, "I'll be honest with you Master Jedi, this is something of a last ditch effort. I've seen bacta do amazing things, but even though she's still breathing and her heart is beating, I don't think she'll ever wake up." The man puts a comforting hand on the Padawan's shoulder, and that simple gesture is enough to cause him to burst into tears, tears he's held on to since that horrible moment on Narvis Rock, tears he never wanted to release. He crumples to the ground, ignoring the shout of pain that it causes him, and balls his eyes out.

How can she be gone? She should have been his Master for a decade. She should have been the person that taught him the ways of the Jedi, the person that helped him become a Jedi Knight.

Right now, Sascha Whitestar does not want to be a Jedi at all. Right now, he's a scared teenager that has lost his parent.

He drifts through a sea of memories, memories of good times with his Master.

Jokes being shared.

That first playful sparring session that had set the tenor of their relationship.

The moment when she had offered to take him on as a Padawan, which had been the happiest in his life.

As the tears dropped, he remembered another memory, this one a much more recent one. Master Brynar had been rebuking him for not being confident in himself, "The way to be a Jedi is simple. You simply choose, and act. If you are calm, decisive, confident, and place your trust in the Force, you will be a Jedi." 

Trust in the Force. Sascha considers this, how can he trust in the Force at this moment, a moment where everything has been ripped from him? He surmises that if he can't trust in the Force at this minute when all seems lost, there was no point in trusting it at all.

He sat up so that he is resting on his knees and opens himself wide to the Force, letting the emotions that surround him flow into him. He can feel the pain and anguish that surrounds him in the medical ward, the quiet celebrations of the men and women of the KSF on the completion of a successful mission, he opens his mind to it all. He can feel the ship, feel Narvis Rock - the KSF soldiers still within, the pirates of Tu Dronos' posse, Luminara, all of it. The Force binds it all together; he is merely a cog in the machinery, one of the ten thousand or so Jedi that have been trained to sense the Force.

Normally, a Jedi should not open himself this wide to the Force, lest the emotions of a thousand different beings overwhelm them. This almost certainly goes double for a Padawan like him who is not yet fully trained. If he'd tried to do this yesterday or tomorrow he'd almost certainly fail, but today, right now, it works.

'Show me my path,' he speaks wordlessly into the nothingness. There is no response, nor should there be, the Force rarely, if ever deals in absolute certainties, even the most powerful of Jedi Masters has been misled by a vision from the Force at some point. Sascha isn't really sure what he's searching for at the moment, whether this is a desperate act of a heartbroken Jedi, or whether it could possibly be something more. Nothing like this was in the textbooks. He is almost overcome by a deep fatigue that threatens to put him unconscious, but he holds onto...whatever this is with just sheer willpower, he refuses to leave without getting an answer to his question. A second before his meditation collapses he gets his answer.

He can feel Master Brynar in the Force again.

He smiles, the doctor peers at him oddly, probably thinking that he has lost what is left of his sanity. Sascha speaks with pure conviction, ignoring the questioning glance, "She's breathing and her heart is beating? She'll live."

The doctor hesitates, clearly not wanting to give the Padawan the wrong impression, "I know Jedi have healing abilities and their toughness is legendary, but she's only a human, she has limits."

Sascha glances at the Kuati doctor from his seated position, and shrugs eloquently. "I'm not a doctor, but I know she'll live, call it a Jedi premonition if you must."

"I hope the best for her as well. Though I imagine she'd like to see her apprentice in better shape than you are in currently. Come sit at the examination table, and I'll see what I can do for you."

He is about to acquiesce, when Major Valenteen bursts into the room, followed by two very serious looking security officers.


	25. Treatment

Major Valanteen looks smugly at him and Dr. Jarvis, though Sascha can't figure out why the Major is looking so smug, or why he is here with two security officers to begin with. While he remains in his kneeling position, Dr. Jarvis rose and turned towards the man in the dark blue KSF uniform, "What is the meaning of this?"

The Kuati Major is a human of middle age and average height, with his most prominent feature being a long aquiline nose, which Sascha remembers is a facial feature generally associated with the Valanteen family on Kuat. The Valanteen family, like the Kuat family that Itoma belongs to, are members of 'the Ten,' the group of ten aristocratic families that own pretty much all of Kuat's most important industries.

The Major trained his light blue eyes on Jarvis, "Doctor Jarvis, you will stay out of this. If you know what is good for you." The Kuati doctor bristles visibly but said nothing. The Major turned his eyes to him, "Jedi Padawan Whitestar, you are under arrest for trespassing on restricted KSF territory, you will come with me or face further penalties."

"No, he won't," replied the Kuati doctor.

"It's okay," Sascha said. He swayed to his feet and nods at the Major, "I'll come with you, I don't want to create a scene."

A look of triumph appeared on the Major's face. Quite frankly, Sascha isn't quite sure what he's done wrong, but he's far too tired to resist or care. He feels strangely euphoric, he's not quite at full awareness of his surroundings, and he is pretty sure that he is very close to the edge of his physical and mental limits. There is a strong chance that he will just collapse in the following minutes from pure exhaustion. At the moment he doesn't care where he collapses, if it is in a jail cell or the floor right here. Aurine is alive, he is alive, nothing else could possibly matter right now.

He took a few steps towards the Major and the two stonefaced security guards, holding out his hands in a gesture of surrender. He is stopped by the firm hand of Dr. Jarvis on his shoulder, "No, the Jedi will be staying with me, Major Valenteen."

The Major's face reddened in fury, "Would you like to join our little trespassing Jedi in the brig?"

The doctor sighs and bowed his head wearily, showing his advanced age quite clearly. Though the Kuati doctor is not overly large, he does seem to possess a certain inner strength, which makes him seem larger, more imposing than his physical attributes would suggest. Jarvis turned his gaze back towards the Major, "I'd prefer the brig to watching a pigheaded, arrogant pipsqueak like you abuse what small amount of power you have, Major Valenteen." The emphasis the gray haired Kuati puts on the KSF man's rank almost makes the word sound like an insult.

While the Major looks furious, the Kuati doctor bowled over him with his furious invective, "While I have devoted my life to the KSF and saving lives, I've sought no promotion, I've been content in my place, a place where I fit in well." Jarvis pointed a bony finger at the Major, "You went to the top medical school on Coruscant, not based on your marks, but because your last name is Valenteen and you managed to be born into one of Kuat's founding families. You continue to be promoted even though you are so completely incompetent at your craft that I would rather work double shifts than have one of our soldiers be treated by the likes of you. You are promoted because someone in your family offers someone in the KSF hierarchy a bigger house or employment in one of their businesses in exchange for promoting you, which is how we end up with a Major on board a cruiser that while he outranks the Captain, no one in their right mind will follow his orders."

Dr. Jarvis smiled cruelly at his adversary, "We all laugh at you Major, because you can strut around with your chest puffed out as a 'Major' in the Kuati Security Force, but what you fail to realize is that you are more useless than any of our new recruits. That's why you sit around all day in your nicely furnished office doing paperwork, because you can harm no one from there. But, when you come in here and think you can arrest a Jedi because he wanted to see his Master, you've crossed the line, Major. These Jedi fought, bled and almost died to protect our troops. That makes them KSF personnel to me, and to hell if the rules say otherwise! The Jedi is staying with me, Major, he needs medical treatment and I intend to provide it. Now are you going to stop me?"

The Kuati Major's anger and hatred had grown during Jarvis's speech and now had boiled over to a point that it almost seemed palpable to Sascha in the Force. The sensation is so strong that it almost drops the young Jedi back to his knees. Major Valnteen's eyes seemed to blaze with pure loathing, he was very clearly not used to being spoken to like this, he almost spits as he begins to speak, his voice rising in tone with every syllable. "Dr. Jarvis, you are beyond insubordinate, I will see to it that you never work in the KSF or on Kuat ever again! I will see you dishonorably discharged! I will see your medical license revoked. Guards, take him away!"

Neither guard moves a muscle.

Major Valenteen looked so bewildered that it would have been comical had the situation not been so serious. The Kuati doctor is not yet finished with his barbs, "You can remove me yourself if you are man enough, Major. I may be twice your age, but I remember basic training pretty well, let's see if you do too."

Sascha prepared himself to intervene, there is no way that he is going to let this situation devolve into a fight on his behalf, it may end up with him collapsing into a heap on the floor, given his current physical state, but no one is getting hurt for his sake. However, his instincts tell him to remain out of the way. Sometimes, the best thing a Jedi can do is be invisible.

The Major puffed himself up to his very average height, his medals and military style shirt stand in stark contrast with the Kuati doctor's normal white garb, and it looks for a second like he will oblige the doctor in his request. Yet, after sizing up the situation, he backed down, "I don't need to remove you, I'm in the right here. I'll file my report and you'll never work again." Major Valenteen turned and exists hastily, with very little of his previous smugness in evidence.

"Coward," the older man muttered, then he nods respectfully to the two guardsmen who pivot smartly and exit the room. He finally turned to Sascha and said, "Well before I get all my credentials stripped by some Kuati aristocrat, how about I take a look at you."

"Doctor, you didn't need to do that for me," he said. Sascha felt awful that he had a civilian stand up for him, but he couldn't figure out how he was supposed to stop what just happened. Lightsaber training in the Temple was much more straightforward than this.

Jarvis smiled genuinely, "No, perhaps not, but it was the right thing to do. Now lie down and let me do my job."

Sascha limped over to an observation table and lies down, removing his boots, which seem to have somehow come through the battle in remarkably good shape.

Jarvis picked up some of his medical equipment that was lying nearby and moves to his side, "Are you in pain at the moment, Padawan?"

"Take a wild guess," he said.

Jarvis snorts in amusement, "Okay, silly question, admittedly. Were you given any sedatives before you got here? Any allergies I need to be aware of?"

"No and no."

Jarvis murmurs in approval, "Might as well start with this nasty looking leg wound," he felt the doctor prod at his left leg. The Kuati man seems genuinely surprised after his examination, "It's healed… the wound is almost totally closed. Who treated you?"

"Oh, I closed the wound, didn't want to be bleeding for too long."

"You…closed the wound? With a medical kit?"

"No, with the Force."

Dr. Jarvis sounds dubious, "When was this?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest," he admitted. Everything had been a bit of a whirlwind for him since he landed on Narvis Rock.

"You closed an open wound with 'the Force' and you can't even recall when you did it? Are you sure that you are human? Or are you one of those Jedi Healers I've heard about?"

Sascha sighed, he's not used to explaining to non-Jedi the capabilities of the Force, "I have some small talent for healing, but I'm nowhere near being a Jedi healer. I simply asked my body to speed up its natural healing process and it did." Sascha felt his leg being prodded at again, and winces. What he's done is not really healing in the truest sense of the word, merely just doing some rather advanced first aid.

The doctor seemed incredulous, even with the evidence staring him right in the face, "That doesn't seem possible to do without at least consciously thinking about it."

Anything is possible with the Force, he almost commented, but he stops himself, realizing it would do little to illuminate the situation to the man that is helping him. He closes his eyes, "Let me give you an example. When you perform a surgery on a patient are you thinking about every little detail? Or are you concentrating on a few specific aspects of the surgery and letting your lower brain function handle the rest? Humans don't stop breathing when they are concentrating on something intently, that's just not how the human brain works."

"You are saying," says the Kuati slowly, "that asking your body to heal itself at what appears to be several times its normal rate is something you can do with your lower brain function? You didn't even need to concentrate to heal yourself?"

"Sure, it's just like anything else, you practice it enough times and it becomes second nature. The first time you perform a surgery you are probably thinking about every detail, but by the time you've performed it twenty or fifty times, you function almost on auto-pilot, paying attention, certainly, but no longer concentrating on every detail as you once did."

"So you are saying that you've been hurt this seriously before…in fact enough times that you are able to be this effective in closing a wound? I didn't know Jedi were such rough and tumble fighters? They always struck me as more elegant."

Sascha smiled faintly, "No, this is the worst I've ever been hurt thankfully, but the wound itself was minor as you have seen. The cut didn't go through any significant amount of muscle, no tendons, nothing serious, really, just a bad flesh wound. I'm not sure I could heal a broken arm or deal with a more serious wound, it would take a degree of power in the Force that I don't have."

The doctor pressed his question, "But you've been hurt before."

Sascha would have fixed the Kuati with an amused expression had he been facing him, instead he lets that amusement creep into his voice, "Dr. Jarvis, I've been sparring full contact with other Jedi since the age of ten, I've had more cuts, scrapes and bruises than I could possibly count."

The Kuati cocked his head inquisitively, "I was under the impression that the Jedi Temple was a place for quiet mediation. Not a military boot camp for children."

"The Temple is very much a place of meditation. But Jedi children are not normal, to state the obvious. If I had not been pushed so hard, given all those minor injuries, would I have been able to perform as well as I did today? Would I have been able to close that wound without having done it on a smaller scale many times before?" He shrugged, "I think not."

"Far be it for me to second guess the Jedi and their thousands of years of combined wisdom. I'm certainly gaining great respect for their ability to tolerate pain."

Sascha blinked; he's not sure what to make of this apparent non sequitur, "Excuse me?"

The Kuati strikes an amused tone, "Oh, don't mind me, I've been removing some pieces of shrapnel from your leg during our conversation."

"I didn't even notice," replied Sascha, stunned.

"Well that's probably because the local anesthetic is working well. I didn't know if I needed to up the dose because you are a Jedi. I guess not."

Sascha is still rather nonplussed about the whole situation, "I may be kind of out of it doctor, but I should have probably noticed someone was pulling chunks of metal from my leg."

The doctor moved up the table and towards his head, "Well I might not be a Jedi, but I've picked up a few tricks of the trade along the way. That whole conversation we had? Just a distraction, you were too focused on it to be concentrating on what was happening to your leg." The Kuati's tone turns self-satisfied, "I always did have good bedside manner. Still, we better bring the 2-1B over here to make sure I haven't missed something."

Sascha, eyes still closed on the examination table, hears the droid whirr its way over to his side. He admitted to himself that he's vaguely uncomfortable with the idea of being treated by a droid. Certainly, 2-1B units had a strong reputation across the galaxy as capable physicians, but he's only ever had treatment and rarely at that by the best Jedi healers in the galaxy. Droids weren't really a part of the living Force, could they really reliably treat a Jedi? Misgivings aside, he lay still as the droid scans him, he doesn't see the point of antagonizing someone that is helping him. Besides, he is rather comfortable laying here on the table.

The 2-1B droid beeped, "Patient is in severe pain, recommend immediate injection of painkillers and a strong sedative."

He opened his eyes and glances at Jarvis, "I think you need to calibrate this droid for Jedi, doctor." He would admit to being in pain, but severe pain? Absolutely not.

"I guess I'll have to wait for the next software update," said the Kuati in continued good humour. "2-1B ignore the pain threshold readings for now, what are the patient's injuries?"

"I detect multiple minor lacerations on the patient's legs, the patient also has bruised ribs, and a mild concussion, the facial lacerations are cosmetic only. Recommendation: at least one day of rest, being monitored every eight hours in case head trauma worsens."

"You can't fix the concussion on your own?" the doctor queried lightly.

"It's a bit beyond me at the moment," he admitted. Head injuries are notoriously difficult to deal with, he remembers being told that unless you were a trained healer or in a truly desperate situation to not try fixing anything to do with the brain.

"So you agree with the diagnosis?"

Sascha resisted saying that he could have told the doctor what his injuries are without being scanned by the droid, but simply nods his assent.

The doctor patted his hand softly, "Then with your agreement, I'll give you something to help with your pain, and then you should rest."

Sascha nodded sleepily, rest sounded like a great idea, "Prescribe me whatever you think is best."

The doctor gets up and starts rummaging through a nearby cabinet, "Well, normally I'm not supposed to give painkillers to minors without parental permission…but I'm not in the mood for following the rules today." Jarvis came back to his side and placed two small capsules in his left hand, "Take these. They are low-grade painkiller that won't affect you too much. I think they are a safer option than some of the more potent painkillers…I don't want your Jedi powers to go all crazy on us."

He smiled faintly and swallowed the two capsules, "Thank you."

Jarvis stands, "Well, then my work here is done, hopefully I have time to check on some of my other patients before that sniveling Major figures out how to remove me from my post. Do you want to be transferred to somewhere more comfortable? We have patient recovery rooms available."

"I'd like to stay here, close to my Master if that's possible."

The Kuati nodded and took his leave, dimming the lights as he exits.

He shifts on the makeshift bed, getting comfortable. A couple of seconds after he closes his eyes, sleep claims him.


	26. Updates, A Padawan's Place

Sascha only got an hour of blissful sleep before his slumber is interrupted. He awoke a second before the door to his room opens. When his brain gets out of sleep mode, he is greeted by racking pain from just about every part of his body. Despite whatever painkillers that Dr. Jarvis had given to him, he's finally feeling the full effect of his now half-healed injuries, now that his adrenaline has worn off. It is not a pleasant sensation to say the least. In addition to the pain, he is currently experiencing the most ear-splitting headache of his young life. The lights being turned on only increases that particular pain and the Padawan cannot stop himself from emitting a painful and pitiful moan.

Sascha glances at the door, his hand drifting towards his lightsaber. He releases his grip on his lightsaber when he sees that the person entering the room is Luminara. The Miralian looks a big ragged from the battle, but her piercing blue eyes remain as sharp as ever.

Still, when she sees Aurine in the bacta tank and how lifeless she looks, her façade slips slightly. She moved to the bacta tank and placed and an olive-skinned hand on the glass. It's a heartfelt gesture and Sascha can feel its sincerity, he knows what Luminara would give to have her best friend beside her instead of fighting for her life. Sascha thinks of saying something, but merely decides to stay silent. It's a moment that he doesn't want to interrupt. The moment is fleeting however; Luminara is far too good a Jedi to spend time on something that is beyond her control. "How are you feeling, Padawan?" she asked.

"I've been better," he replied, not sure exactly what else he could say. He'd never had a headache like this, it feels like his brain is trying to escape from his skull. If this is what a minor concussion feels like, he doesn't want to ever experience a major concussion.

A brief flicker of a smile appeared on Luminara's face, but it fades quickly, "Yes, our Kuati friend Dr. Jarvis, has updated me on your health. You did well on Narvis Rock, Padawan, I am proud of you," Luminara's voice fractured with emotion just slightly, "I know Aurine would be proud of you too."

"Thank you, Master Luminara. I just wish…" he trailed off. He wished for many things, that he'd been quicker, or fought better, or that he could somehow reach out through time and space and change what happened to Aurine. He'd always been aware, in a general sense that Jedi had limits, he hadn't been planning on finding out what they were quite so early in his apprenticeship.

Luminara spoke into the silence, a note of hope in her voice, "I know, Padawan. Doctor Jarvis said something about you being sure that Aurine will recover?"

He hesitated, "When I opened myself up to the Force…I got the impression that she'll be okay. At the time, it seemed like it was a sign from the Force as to her future now…I'm simply not sure. Did I just convince myself that she'd be okay? I don't know." He rubbed his aching head slightly, "I'm not really sure what I experienced."

"Sometimes the Force provides us with what we need," Luminara said sagely, "Aurine is incredibly tough, Sascha. She'll pull through this." Sascha nodded hopefully, and Luminara continues, "Our lovely friend Senator Kuat has already contacted the Jedi Council on our behalf, so I'll be heading to the communications hub to deliver our report. You can join me if you wish, I just had to see Aurine before I went."

"I'll join you, Master Unduli. Aurine would want that."

Luminara smiled the ghost of a smile, "It is amazing to see how quickly you've become Aurine's Padawan."

He blinked, "Excuse me, Master Luminara…but what do you mean by that?"

"You've picked up some of Aurine's best traits, her commitment to the mission above all else, her tactical acumen and her toughness." Sascha wanted to dispute Luminara's claim, in his opinion he'd always been tough, scrappy had always been a word that had defined him, but he's going to accept the compliment in the manner it was obviously intended.

"I brought you a change of clothes, I thought you might appreciate it. Change and meet me outside," Luminara exited the room, indicating where she left a package of clothes.

Sascha rolled himself off his makeshift bed and almost stumbles dizzily into a nearby wall. He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts, though the concussion makes that rather difficult. He takes off his old, battle worn clothing, which if he is being honest, smells quite terribly and is still matted with blood, most of it his. Ignoring the prevalent aches of his body he puts on a fresh set of his gray Jedi robes. Before he leaves the room he says a silent goodbye to his Master, placing a hand on the glass of the bacta tank, much like Luminara had earlier. Aurine continued to float lifelessly in the tank, her health still hanging in the balance.

He joined Luminara outside the room and together they silently move through the Kuati Pride. Sascha wants very much to ask if Luminara had any success in getting any useful information from the computers on Narvis Rock, but it is not his place to ask, certainly not as they are in the middle of the ship. He's also trying hard to reduce the pain racking his body, his headache is not assisting him and neither is his fatigue, still, he manages to allay some of it as they walk to their destination.

They reach the communications centre, a room populated with bustling KSF personnel and a wide variety of state-of-the-art communications equipment. Senator Kuat meets the Jedi just inside the door, continuing to look fairly pleased with herself. Colonel Zarbo has also materialized beside the Senator, making the Padawan wonder what he's been up to all this time, considering he disappeared at a time where he may have actually been useful for once. The Senator bowed politely to the Jedi, "I've made contact with the Jedi Council, you can take their transmission in room three."

"And who asked you to contact the Jedi Council, Senator?" asked Luminara in a frosty tone.

The Senator looks like she just realized that she has overstepped her bounds, "Two Jedi were hurt and you were busy coordinating our efforts on Narvis Rock, I only thought it right that I update the Jedi on the situation. I apologize if I acted out of turn."

Sascha was pretty sure the Senator was not contrite at all, and Luminara seemed to feel similarly, judging by the slightest of snarls on her delicate features. With her olive skin and intricate facial tattoos, even the slightest of snarls can be intimidating, as he knows from experience. Still, her voice remained polite, unflappable, "Thank you, Senator, we shall take it from here."

The two Jedi enter 'room three' and lock the door behind them, the room's glittering equipment a testament to its quality, the room was capable of both sending and receiving transmissions in full holo, not exactly cheap or easy to do.

As he positioned himself to the side and behind Luminara, he murmurs, "Our Kuati allies are likely monitoring this broadcast, Master Unduli."

"What makes you say that, Padawan?" replied Luminara, her voice barely audible.

"Because if I was in their place, that's what I would do."

"Duly noted, and well spotted, Padawan," Sascha felt a brief thrill of pride at the compliment, he has worked with Luminara before, and her compliments were rare and had to be earned.

It's not more than half a minute before the transmission from the Jedi Council comes in, all twelve members of the Council are in evidence, a far cry from the seven that had been in attendance when they were assigned the mission. Clearly, this mission now has the attention of the higher ups of the Order. All twelve holograms surround him and Luminara, giving them the impression that they are in the middle of the Council back on Coruscant, yet in hologram, they are only ¼ of their real life sizes. The small thrill Sascha receives from being in front of the full council is blemished when he remembers that his Master isn't here with him.

The intimidating presence of Mace Windu began, requesting a full report from Luminara. While the Miralian relayed the details of their mission, Sascha stood silently beside her; the place of a Padawan was the background, only supposed to speak if spoken to. Still, he payed close attention to Luminara's report, he doesn't want to be taken by surprise if a question is asked of him, which is unlikely since most of the Jedi Council members don't even know his name…

Luminara finished her report and Mace Windu immediately asked, "Was there no way to take Tu Dronos alive?"

Luminara gave Sascha a subtle signal and he tried to quell his nerves, this was the first time he had ever spoken to the entire Jedi Council. "I'm sorry Masters, but no," he said.

Mace sat back in his chair, looking slightly displeased, folding his arms across his chest. Adi Galia the Tholothian Jedi Master asked a question, "I am interested in the weapons of these pirates; you said that they resisted your lightsabers?"

"I suspect their weapons were made of a Cortosis alloy, an alloy that has been known to resist lightsabers in the past and has seen attempts to mine it be increased over the past few years," commented Eeth Koth, the long-time member of the Jedi Council.

Luminara nodded, "We retrieved all four weapons for further analysis."

"A matter for another Jedi to look into," commented Mace, waving his hand dismissively. "We've sent Jedi Knight Surenit Kli'qiy to oversee the treatment of Jedi Brynar. Along with him will be a contingent of Judicials who will oversee the interrogation of the prisoners of Narvis Rock as well as the extraction of any useful data from its computers. Padawan…" Mace glanced downwards, looking off screen, "…Whitestar, you'll accompany Jedi Kli'qiy back to Coruscant."

Sascha was talking before he realized what he was doing, "With respect Masters, and with permission of Master Unduli, I'd like to stay with the mission." A second after he is done speaking he realizes what he has done. He has just spoken out of turn to the Jedi Council. He felt faint, and swayed unsteadily on his feet, knowing that what he's done is a severe breach of protocol. He wondered if he can blame his head injury for his lack of judgement…

Mace glared daggers at him and even through the Holonet and the fact the Korun was ¼ sized, he felt intimidated. Fortunately he was rescued by one of Mace's former Padawans, the Chalactan Depa Billaba, who spoke, "Padawan, do not take this as a slight on your abilities, but you look like you were run over by a landspeeder and your place is by your Master's side is it not?"

Sascha glanced away, defeated, but Luminara spoke on his behalf, "I have worked with the Padawan closely before, I believe he could continue to be an asset to the protection of the Senator. I also believe that Master Brynar would like Sascha to stay with me as well." He sent Luminara a wave of gratitude through the Force, but this time remained silent.

The twelve council members looked at each other in silent discussion, clearly they had not anticipated this. Finally Yoda, the Grand Master of the Jedi Order spoke, apparently making clear the decision of the council "Very well, if fit to continue he is, remain with you, the Padawan will."

Mace resumed control of the conversation, "If we can continue…the Council is also amending your mission in light of these recent events, you are charged with the protection of Senator Itoma Kuat and nothing more." The penetrating glare of the Korun makes it quite clear to Luminara and Sascha that he will brook no disobedience in this matter. Neither Jedi offers any. "Any questions?" Luminara shook her head. "Then may the Force be with you." The transmission ended quickly, leaving the two Jedi in the middle of the darkened communications room.

Immediately Sascha turned and bowed gratefully to Luminara, "Thank you for bailing me out with the Council, Master Unduli…I'm not sure what came over me."

A small grin pulls at the lips of the Miralian, "You are welcome, Padawan. It will be a pleasure to work with you," she grimaced "though I believe I speak for the both of us when I say I wished the situation were different."

"A Jedi must take what is given," he says in response. It's a typical Jedi mantra, and more than anything it is a reminder to himself to keep focused on the task at hand. He has questions about what just happened though, "Master Unduli, I'm confused by a few things, why was…"

Luminara cuts him authoritatively, "Not now Padawan." Now he is even more confused. There was so much missing from Luminara's report but no one seemed to notice or care. No talk about how the pirates had managed to be warned that the Jedi were coming to Narvis Rock. Sascha knows that it is not his place to question his superiors, but his questions remain.

The two Jedi exit the room and Luminara seeks out Senator Kuat. The Senator is busy talking with Colonel Zarbo, but the conversation is dropped immediately when she sees the Jedi making their way towards her. The Senator bowed graciously to Luminara, "I want to apologize again for contacting the Jedi Council on your behalf. I…just wanted to help."

Luminara's features soften somewhat, "I understand the sentiment, Senator, I just ask that you keep us up to speed with what you are doing. Your protection is our mission, after all."

"What did the Jedi Council say?" the Senator asked innocently.

"They are sending a Jedi ship with a healer to take Master Brynar to Coruscant. The Padawan and I will remain as your security detail. I assume you will be returning to Kuat?"

The Senator looked towards Colonel Zarbo and nods in affirmation, "Yes, I believe I speak for the whole crew when I say that we've made enough detours. I am eager to return to Kuat, I have many tasks to accomplish there."

"Good, I believe you can see to the security arrangements on Kuat Colonel Zarbo."

The Colonel covered his surprise quickly, so far, the Jedi have overseen the entire mission, so this seems like an unexpected show of faith, "Of course, the security of the Senator is and always has been my number one concern," he says. Sascha covers a look of displeasure, he doesn't trust the Colonel at all.

"Thank you Colonel. The Padawan and I must rest." Luminara lets her fatigue show for just a second, and the Senator reaches out to place a steadying hand on Luminara's shoulder. The Miralian leans heavily into it for a quick moment before straightening back to her full height.

Itoma Kuat seems distressed by the state of the two Jedi, "I believe we can find appropriate quarters for both of you. Let me speak to Captain Kessler."

Luminara straightens, "That is not necessary, the Padawan and I will sleep in the medical ward with our injured colleague. Please see to it that a certain Major does not interfere, Senator."

Itoma flashed a wicked grin, "It would be my pleasure to keep that sleemo out of your affairs, Master Jedi."

Back in the medical ward, the two Jedi enter Aurine's room to find Dr. Jarvis checking the condition of Master Brynar. The doctor hears the Jedi enter and gives them a respectful nod. "Anything new, doctor?" asked Luminara.

The doctor shakes his head, "I'm afraid not, Master Jedi, her condition remains unchanged." Both Jedi grimace slightly at the news as expected as it is.

"Has Major Valenteen made good on his threats, doctor?" asked Sascha.

"Oh, he has, but it's for the best." The Kuati man smiled, "Our esteemed Senator has heard of the good work I put in assisting you Jedi and she's offered me a job on her personal staff. I always did want to see Coruscant, now I have that opportunity. Plus, she gave me a nice raise and the promise of actually being able to take a vacation. I think that I'm getting the last laugh over Major Valenteen. Always knew that Senator Kuat was one of those good politicians that you hear about, but never actually get to see."

Sascha smiles, "I'm glad to hear that it all worked out, sir."

The Kuati man snorted, "I'm no sir, especially not now." He paused, "if there is anything I can do, please let me know." The doctor turns to leave the room, but pauses right at the door, "Oh, and I figured both of you might be back, so I brought over two beds, they aren't much for comfort but they'll do." The doctor points out two small medical beds, off to the side of the room.

"Thank you for everything, Dr. Jarvis," says Luminara. After the Kuati bows and leaves, Luminara nods her head in admiration, "a good man, that doctor. Perhaps I misjudged the Senator, she does seem to inspire great loyalty amongst the people that she meets and I'm beginning to see why. I'm starting to suspect that the aristocrats of Kuat see her as a potential threat. It would certainly explain why our attackers have been of such high quality, the aristocrats of Kuat could certainly afford the best the galaxy has to offer."

"But we have no evidence…of anything so far Master. Just a growing number of clues with nothing to link them together and a list of suspects that seems to keep getting bigger."

"Yes, it is quite a confusing situation."

"So you didn't find anything in the computers at Narvis Rock," he concluded.

Luminara sat on one of the beds that the Kuati doctor brought into the room and peels off her boots, frowning as she notices her boots had some shrapnel buried in them, "I couldn't even get past the first line of security on those computers…their encryption and security systems were like nothing I'd ever seen before."

"But you didn't tell the Council that," Sascha pointed out.

"Haven't forgotten that, have you? Do you know why I didn't tell the Council?"

"If I knew I wouldn't have to ask," replies the Padawan a bit peevishly.

"You already know the answer, Sascha; in fact you pointed it out to me just before we started talking to the Council."

"The Council knew that the broadcast would be monitored?"

Luminara lets some amusement creep into her voice, "If a Padawan on his first ever mission can figure it out, don't you think the Council could figure that out as well?"

"Uh…um…of course, Master Unduli," replied the embarrassed Padawan. "So that whole transmission was just for show?"

"In a sense. I already transmitted a brief report to the Council so that they understood the situation. They know how perilous this mission has become. I confirmed some of the less important details that they were interested in, but otherwise the transmission was a façade. The Council likely has already sent other Jedi to investigate how we keep being attacked. But potentially revealing that to the Kuatis does us no favours, because if there is a spy in the KSF or in the Senator's inner circle, letting them know there is more Jedi on the way only allows them to expect more Jedi."

Sascha was nodding slowly, his usual mental quickness was not there today, slowed by his concussion, but he was putting the pieces together, "So the Council restricts our mission, making the Kuatis think that we will no longer be searching for the would-be assassins. And the potential reaction to this will tell us something; hopefully, it could potentially make the conspirators overconfident. All of this seems overcomplicated, but I follow you now. So if I understand things correctly, Surenit Kli'qiy will bring us our 'real' orders."

"Yes, I wouldn't expect them to be significantly different; the protection of the Senator is likely still the goal of our mission. But the Council may assign you or I a specific task they want to see done." Luminara shrugs, "I do not know if any of this will be helpful, but when there are so many variables in a mission you try to control the ones that you have power over. A Jedi must always try to be prepared for all eventualities."

Sascha takes all this in, "Master Luminara, was I actually going to be sent home with Master Brynar?"

"I was actually going to argue for you to stay with me, but you were too impatient. You can still go back with Master Kli'qiy if you wish. They'll send another Jedi to assist me. I only want you to stay if you can keep focused on our mission."

He points to himself, "This impatient Padawan would like to stay until the mission is complete, considering I did risk whatever good will I had with the Council to do so." Luminara nods and prepares settle in for a well-deserved rest. "Master, if I may ask one more question."

Luminara gave Sascha a weary look, "You may, but be aware you are cutting into both of our recovery time."

He bows his head slightly, "Sorry Master, but I must know why you showed weakness in front of the Senator? I know you are tired, but you have more than enough control to not let yourself slip like that."

Luminara muses rhapsodically, "Ah, a little bit of political theatre, that. I could have seen to the security arrangements myself; after all it will probably be a day or so before we reach Kuat, but by showing that I'm weak and handing off the duties to the Colonel, we may learn something."

"I'm not so sure we should trust Colonel Zarbo, Master. I'm not sure where he disappeared to when we were planning our incursion on Narvis Rock."

Luminara smiles tightly, "No one said anything about trusting him, but getting to see the plan that he and the Senator come up with will tell us something, if they plans a grandiose return full of pomp and circumstance that will tell us one thing, if they plan something quieter that will also tell us another. And if it's a bad plan, we just make a new one for the Senator."

"This all seems overly complicated, Master."

"Everything about this mission is overly complicated, Padawan."

That statement was very difficult to argue against.


	27. Caamasi Diplomacy

When Sascha awoke, he felt the kind of disorientation that a person only gets when they've been asleep for an overly long period of time. It took more than a few seconds for him to calibrate himself, remember where exactly he was and what he was doing here. With a grimace, he realized that he is not in the safe confines of the Jedi Temple where he will soon join his Master for breakfast, instead he is in a bed on the Kuati Pride. There was also no one around to ask what time it was, Luminara was not in the darkened room, though Master Brynar still floated in the bacta tank, looking the same as she had before he had gone to sleep. He was unsure if that was a good or bad thing, What he did know was that he could not waste much time in thinking on it, because Jedi focused on what they could change, not what they could not.

When it came to his physical state, he was feeling much better, his leg still hurt and he had a headache, but it now was merely a dull pain instead of a throbbing roar. He closed his eyes and searched for Luminara in the Force and upon finding her, he sent her a little nudge, just to say that he is awake. Luminara notices him, and he gets a nudge in response. Sascha knows that Luminara will come find him if she has need of him, but with nothing to do, and no assignment, he figures that he might as well stay here.

Sascha moves over to the bacta tank, it still seems wrong that his Master is in there and not out here with him. When he reaches out with his senses he can feel Aurine just past his fingertips, her presence is muted, shallow, but it is at least there. He pours all the reassurance that he has into that connection. Pointless? Probably. But the fact that he was doing something made him feel slightly better. With nothing better to do, he does his normal morning routine, meditation and stretches, and after he completes them, Sascha feels like a Jedi again, not merely a battered piece of flesh.

He is patiently meditating when Luminara finally comes to rescue him from his solitude. The Miralian looks much better, a new robe and some rest have made her look like none of the events of the past few days had transpired, Sascha wonders if the same holds true for him. He suspects not.

"Ah, you are finally awake Padawan, good timing too, Master Kli'qiy has just arrived in system, he will be docking soon."

Sascha shook his head in confusion; it should have taken many hours for a ship leaving from Coruscant to reach them here, at least ten he thinks, "How long was I asleep, Master?"

The Miralian checks her chrono leisurely, "Nearly twelve hours."

"Twelve hours!" he exclaims, "Master, you should have woken me up earlier."

Luminara shrugs, "I thought you needed the rest, and to be honest there hasn't been much to do."

"If you thought it best, Master." Sascha can't quite keep the disappointment from his voice. He trusted Luminara, how could he not? He just hasn't spent the same amount of time with her as he has with Aurine, there is not the same level of mutual understanding between the pair.

Sascha for the fiftieth time reconsiders his stance on staying with the mission. It would be the easy way out, to go back to Coruscant with his Master, and certainly no one would blame him for doing so. Yet, he really doesn't want to leave Luminara. And to be totally honest, he's still excited to be on this mission, despite the fact he's almost died at least twice now. Combined with the fact that he has a strong feeling that he should stay with the mission, and he was trying to learn how to trust those feelings, even when they didn't make logical sense, he still thought it would be best for him to stay on this mission.

After all, the hard part had to be over, right?

Luminara and Sascha waited just outside the hangar bay of the Kuati Pride for the arrival of Surenit Kli'qiy. After landing his shuttle with aplomb, the Caamasi Jedi Knight made his way towards him and Luminara. Caamasi Jedi Knights were rare and with most of their species being of a peaceful nature, Caamasi Jedi often ended up as healers or diplomats. The Caamasi were so well known across the galaxy for their compassion and their diplomatic skills that in some languages the word Caamasi came to mean 'friend from afar.' Surenit himself was a gray furred Caamasi with prominent black streaks atop his head. His brown Jedi robes gave him an air of calm and nobility.

The Caamasi nodded at Luminara and him, and Sascha notices a pair of tall steel-gray loader droids following Surenit, he surmises that these droids will be helping move the bacta tank, considering that most bacta tanks weighed over five hundred kilograms it was not something that was moved easily.

All three Jedi bow their heads respectfully, "It is good to see you again, Master Luminara," says Surenit in Coruscanti accented basic.

"It is good to see you, Master Kli'qiy."

The Caamasi turns his attention to him, "You must be Padawan Sascha Whitestar. I saw the report of your injuries; I'm pleased to see you looking so spry."

"Thank you, Master Kli'qiy. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Surenit grimaced, "It is nice to meet you as well, though I wish the circumstances that brought us together were different."

"That we can all agree upon, Master Kli'qiy," said Luminara.

Surenit holds out a hand, "I read the report on Master Brynar's status, but I would like to see her in person to get a better understanding of her condition."

"We should not delay then," said Luminara, "This way."

Luminara started striding for the turbolifts when Major Valenteen appears, wildly waving a stack of flimsy, trying to flag down the Jedi, "Excuse me!"

Sascha suppressed a groan, he thought that the Major may have learned his lesson by this point, but he apparently hasn't.. The young Padawan is surprised when Surenit does not break stride to converse with the Kuati Major. The Major's face registers surprise for a second but he is undeterred, chasing after the Jedi, trying to get their attention.

Finally, he addresses the group with the correct honorarium, "Master Jedi, please, I would like to talk to you."

Now Master Kliq'qiy turns to face the Kuati Major, "Yes, Major?"

"I have some concerns about the patient transfer considering KSF protocols on the matter…"

The Major is halfway into his spiel when Surenit rolls his eyes and resumes walking towards a bank of turbolifts, "KSF protocols do not apply, Major, this is an internal Jedi affair." Sascha had just met Surenit Kli'qiy but he was having a very positive first impression the way he was shutting down the annoying but tenacious Major Valenteen.

The Major clearly wanted to object to that particular statement but he was clearly being off-put by the lack of heed the Jedi are paying to him. This is obviously a man that is used to getting instant respect and he isn't quite sure how to deal with a being that he can't bully with his family name. Still, he is nothing if not annoyingly tenacious, "I would say that the KSF should be consulted when you are taking a patient in one of our bacta tanks from one of our ships and out of our jurisdiction entirely. This is especially true as I have not yet seen the replacement."

Surenit whirls on the Major just before the entrance to the turbolift, his expression dark, "Are you insinuating, Major, that a Jedi Knight would intentionally give you anything less than top quality equipment? That I would ever intentionally put another being at risk?"

"I…uh…would never…" the Major stammered.

Surenit has real steel in his voice, "Major if you would like to inspect the bacta tank the Jedi Council is donating to you, it is aboard my ship, you are free to inspect it. Otherwise, you are delaying me from seeing my patient for what appears to be no good reason. Unless you have another reason that you are delaying me from seeing her?"

The Major reddens to an almost purple shade but doesn't back away, so the Jedi just walk past him and into the turbolift, leaving the forlorn looking Major still holding his precious stack of flimsy.

Once the doors close, Luminara tapped Surenit lightly on the shoulder, "I see that the Caamasi diplomatic tradition has found a new heir, Master Kli'qiy."

The Caamasi looked pained, "Sometimes, Master Luminara, no diplomacy is possible; you must simply remind someone of their place."

"I look forward to taking your class on the matter at the Temple soon, Master Kli'qiy," replied Luminara, a trace of amusement in her voice.

The conversation ended as the Jedi exited the turbolift; they made their way to the room containing Master Brynar. Sascha stood by as the Caamasi healer examined the readings from the bacta tank, and used the Force to examine the injured Jedi. He felt nervous all over again, would it be good news or bad news? If it was bad news, he was very sure he didn't want to remain on the mission. If it was bad news he didn't know how to react at all.

His nerves fraying, he didn't have the patience to wait for the news, "Master Kli'qiy, will she be alright?"

"If you would just give me a minute, Padawan," the Caamasi healer replied testily. That minute seemed to stretch for hours, but eventually Surenit turned to face Sascha and Luminara. "Master Brynar will live. Her recovery will be long and potentially arduous, but I believe that she is past the worst of it. I see no reason that she cannot make a full recovery."

The Caamasi's proclamation caused Luminara and Sascha to come together in an impromptu hug, the tension of being worried over Aurine's condition suddenly lifted. Embarrassed by that display of emotion, Luminara quickly spoke up, "Thank you, Master Kli'qiy that is wonderful news."

The Caamasi remained solemn, "Indeed, there is no need thank me however, I simply pronounced the diagnosis. I believe it will be for the best if I get on my way quickly." The healer made a gesture to the and they began preparations to move the large, heavy and unwieldy bacta tank.

The three Jedi monitored the droids carefully, while theoretically the loader droids with their programmed precision would be able to easily carry the weight of the tank without so much as disrupting the patient inside, things did not always go as planned. Nonetheless, the Jedi remained on guard, prepared to use the Force to provide balance if necessary. The droid's engineering proved up to the task, their mechanical muscles and finely tuned balance calibrators brought the bacta tank to the Caamasi's ship without a hitch.

Aboard the small cruiser, Luminara and Sascha rested briefly while Surenit made sure that the bacta tank was securely hooked up to the ship's systems. When the Caamasi returned, he indicated that Sascha should join the Jedi Healer in a separate room. In the cramped cabin, Sascha grabbed a seat and the Caamasi sat opposite the human Padawan. "The Council wanted me to ensure that you are fit to continue on this mission," Surenit said without preamble. "How would you say you are physically, Padawan?"

"Today I feel around ninety percent of normal perhaps. Tomorrow I think that I'll probably pretty close to a hundred percent."

"Honesty from a Padawan, truly I have seen it all now," the Caamasi said with a tiny smile.

He returned the smile wanly, "I learned a long time ago, Master Kli'qiy that trying to lie to Jedi Knights generally did not end well for me."

"This is a good observation, Padawan, but that has not stopped many that share your rank from trying." 

He shrugged in response, he's never really been one for deception, Doro and Trigg, his Corelian friends from his Initiate clan had always been the ones that were trying to sneak around or tell white lies. He had tried to follow them at times but he tended to cause more harm to their schemes than help them.

The Caamasi continued, "Very well, Padawan, your physical state was not much of a concern, I'm more interested in your mental state. Why is it that you wish to continue on with this mission?"

Surenit's question is open, prodding, not accusatory, and it takes him a moment to compose his answer. "Honestly, Master Kli'qiy I go back and forth in my mind. I would very much like to be in two places at once, I feel that I can help this mission, I'm already acquainted with the Senator and the KSF, I'm still in good shape physically and I know and trust Master Unduli. On the other hand, I know my place is with my Master and I want to be with her as well, to help her in any way I can." He sighed, "I'm not sure what the right answer is…if there is a right answer at all, the Force has offered me no guidance. What pushes me towards staying with the mission was that the last words Master Brynar spoke to me before she…became unconscious. She said, 'help Luminara…the mission comes first.' I like to think that even though she isn't really with us, I'm still following her orders. However, Master Kli'qiy if you feel differently I will respect your decision."

Surenit gave the Padawan an evaluating look, what he is searching for, the Padawan is unsure. "It was my intention at first that I would take you back to Coruscant with me. From there you could even continue to assist the mission, by lending your research and investigative talents to this mystery. This has been a dangerous mission so far and I believe there could be even more danger to come, not a mission for a Padawan on his first mission, if it could be helped." The Camaasi paused, "However, I am glad that I kept an open mind regarding the situation, for now I believe that you should stay with the mission."

"What changed your mind, Master Kli'qiy?"

"You, partially. Your honesty speaks well of you, and your determination is clear, but unlike many Padawans your age it has not become overconfidence. The other part was watching you interact with Luminara. I know Master Unduli fairly well, and I know that Luminara is not always the most trusting of Jedi, but it is clear that she trusts you. That seems remarkable for someone of your age, you are not her Padawan yet she treats you like you are."

"Master Luminara and I have trained together, and had she been able to, I probably would have become her Padawan. If it was any other Jedi besides Luminara, I think I would be more inclined to return to Coruscant with you, but Luminara and I have a connection."

"Very well, you will stay on the mission with Master Luminara. I trust you have no problem following her commands?"

"She will be my Master in all but name, Master Kli'qiy."

"Good," the Caamasi rose, indicating the conversation is nearing its close, "Now I'll brief both of you on your new orders."

In the ship's small lounge, Luminara is still waiting, engaging in some light meditation. He sits beside her, while Surenit remains standing. Noticing that the two Jedi have returned, Luminara ends her meditation. "I've decided that the Padawan will remain with the mission," Surenit opens without preamble.

"I'm pleased to hear that Master Kli'qiy," responded Luminara, giving him a subtle tap on his shoulder.

"Indeed. The Council is very distressed by the turn that this mission has taken, nothing to do with your actions, of course, but this was supposed to be a straightforward mission and it has clearly become more than that. The Council is investigating how your ship, the Emerald Dream, came to be attacked and then how the defenders of Narvis Rock seemed to anticipate your arrival. We fear that there is an informant within either the Senator's staff, or perhaps even more troubling within the Judicials themselves. Therefore, the Council has sent some Jedi to investigate that particular problem. Furthermore, there seems to be no further leads on who is behind these attacks, the evidence seems to point to the aristocratic families of Kuat, but which ones and why? With the potential for the Judicials being compromised the Council is sending more Jedi to Kuat to track down these leads and get some answers."

"A nice summary of events, Surenit, but you haven't told us what our orders are," noted Luminara.

"I will get to that, I just wanted to inform you that the Council is taking this matter seriously, no Senator should be able to be threatened like this, the Republic cannot function if its representatives are being intimidated." The Caamasi took a breath, "As for your part, you are to remain the primary protectors of the Senator. The Council does not want to handcuff you from tracking down your own leads; in fact it believes that you may be in the perfect position to decode these events, if the threat to the Senator is coming from inside her inner circle. The Council also suggests that Padawan Whitestar could potentially be given more leeway in tracking down any leads."

Sascha can't keep a surprised look off his face, "Me, Master Kli'qiy?"

The Caamasi nodded, smiling slightly at his reaction, "Yes, many non-Jedi tend to underestimate Padawans because of their youth, they do not know that they are, for all intents and purposes, fully trained. Luminara also has the handicap of being a Miralian, and few Miralians are on Kuat, so she will stand out on planet. You on the other hand, should be able to blend in quite easily."

That did seem to follow. Kuat had been settled by humans and while there was the usual smattering of other peoples on the planet, humans were a dominant majority on planet, "I understand, Master Kli'qiy."

The Caamasi then produced two nondescript looking datapads from a pouch on his belt and handed them to the two Jedi. "These datapads are linked directly to the Temple, with a dedicated encryption that should make their transmissions unbreakable. They also have advanced security measures, you will need to provide your fingerprint and a vocal sample to use them. Use these datapads and only these datapads to contact the Temple, the Kuatis will know that someone is sending transmissions but be unable to break them."

"Can we use them to contact the other Jedi on Kuat?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, no. It's a strictly one way transmission device," was Surenit's response.

"And you can't tell us who the other Jedi joining us on Kuat will be?" inquired Luminara.

Surenit looked apologetic, "I can't tell you what I do not know. It's simply a preventative measure, for if either of you are captured for whatever reason, the other missions will not be imperiled. As I said, the Council is taking this mission very seriously."

Luminara grimaced at that pronouncement but seemed to half expect it. Surenit continued, "If you have any questions, you can ask me, though I may not have the answers."

Sascha was trying to take all of the new information in, he couldn't really think of any questions to ask, though he was sure if given an hour to think on it he could think of a few. Surenit nodded at the silence, "May the Force be with you."

Before the Jedi left Surenit's shuttle, Sascha stopped at Aurine's bacta tank and spoke silently to her, "I'll do you proud, Master, I'll see you back at the Temple, I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I've hinted at the fate of Aurine in the author's notes before, I feel that it doesn't impact the story at this point to say that she will, in fact make a full recovery. For story purposes, I needed Aurine to exit the story, because, this book is Sascha's story and I can't explore his character fully unless his guardians are taken away. Luminara is a capable fill in, but as we will see, there is a different between Aurine and Luminara when it comes to teaching Sascha.
> 
> Have no fear fans of Aurine, as she will take on a larger role in Book 2, which is very much a Sascha and Aurine story. In fact Aurine will even become a POV character, a status she maintains for the rest of the series. While this series will always be Sascha's story first and foremost, Aurine will certainly play a large role.


	28. Forgetting

Sascha and Luminara watched Surenit's shuttle depart the Kuati Pride with a little bit of wistfulness. It was quite an odd feeling for him to be separated from his Master, and to know that she won't be around for him to rely on. Sascha tried to frame it in a positive light, perhaps this is a good opportunity for him to learn a bit of independence.

He turned to the Miralian beside him, "Master Luminara, I'm at your bidding, is there anything you'd like me to do?"

Luminara looked thoughtful, "A couple of things, actually. I'd like you to look over the information that has been provided to us on those datapads we received from Surenit and to see if you could find anything of value on them. I also want you to summarize the events of the mission as completely as you can and send it off your summary to the Temple. Perhaps they can analyze it from a different perspective and come up with some more useful conclusions. Then, I want you to spend some time researching Kuat. What is the political climate like? How popular is the Senator? Try to find answers to some of these questions. Being prepared for what we may face is important. But first, Sascha, I want you to make sure you are ready for landing on Kuat."

He frowned in confusion, "Master Luminara, I'm ready, my travel bag remains packed."

Luminara looked disappointed in him, "And when was the last time you ate, Padawan?"

That was a very good question, Sascha had to admit and he was stunned into an awkward silence. Luminara continued lightly, "I'm sure you can find where the cafeteria is. Make sure you indulge that teenaged appetite."

"Yes, Master – what will you be doing?"

"I'll be double-checking Colonel Zarbo's security plans and then I will probably try to do some subtle investigating. You have my comlink frequency if you need me." He bowed in acknowledgement of the dismissal and the two Jedi went their separate ways.

The Kuati Pride was not a large ship, but it was not as if it was a commercial cruiser, there were no maps available, there was no droid at an information kiosk to point you in the right direction. Sascha decided that he would try to find the cafeteria without asking a crew member; after all he didn't want to ruin the mystique of the Jedi by asking for directions like he was some sort of lost tourist. It took him a little while, and he took a few wrong turns along the way, but eventually he found his way to the crew cafeteria where he was surprised to be greeted by the familiar faces of Falcon squad.

Sascha was surprised and happy to see his squad looking upbeat after such a strenuous mission. He nodded to his squad and after grabbing a pre-prepared meal, he took a seat at their table. "A pleasure to see you again, Falcon squad," he said to the assembled troopers. The soldiers respond with a cacophony of shouted greetings which brings a grin to his face.

"You look much better than I last saw you, Commander," says Sergeant Hoskin.

"Thank you, Sergeant Hoskin. I feel much better, not surprisingly." He paused; he counted nine members of Falcon squad, when there was supposed to be ten, but he couldn't sense any sadness from the troopers, which meant that they hadn't lost one of their squad mates, or had they? "I count nine of you, where is the tenth?"

"Private Olander is fine, he just picked up a minor wound in the fighting and apparently he doesn't recover as fast as a Jedi," replied a member of the squad.

Sascha smiled, a real genuine smile, "I'm glad to hear it. I want to thank you all for the professional job you did on Narvis Rock, I'm sure it was not the easiest mission you ever had and I know the other squads were not so lucky as Falcon squad, but I want you to know that you have my respect, and my thanks."

"I think I speak for all of us aboard the Kuati Pride when I say that it was a pleasure to work with the Jedi," replied Sergeant Hoskin.

Another solider piped up, "Can we borrow you for our next mission? Having a Jedi around makes things a lot easier! Especially that whole deflecting blaster bolts with your lightsaber thing, I could see that being useful."

Sascha grinned slightly, "Sorry, I don't think I'll be that fortunate, I'm sure you will do fine without me."

As he consumed his bland meal, he sat in the background as the KSF soldiers bantered with each other. It was a nice feeling just to be able to interact with other people in a non-confrontational situation after the craziness of the past few days. The camaraderie that he shared with the soldiers of Falcon squad also lifted his spirits. It was only a day ago that he had questioned whether he had the ability to command the respect of soldiers, he knew now that he did.

While he would have loved to have stayed and chatted more with the KSF soldiers, he had other obligations to attend to. The assignments that Luminara had given him weren't going to complete themselves. After he finished his meal, he bowed respectfully to the members of Falcon squad and left the cafeteria. He was about to track down a Kuati officer to inquire about a quiet place where he could start researching when Sergeant Hoskin flagged him down in the corridor.

"What can I do for you Sergeant?" asked the Padawan.

"You never said what happened to your Master, did she make it?"

"The healers believe that she will be fine, thank you for asking Sergeant," he said politely. Sascha is about continue on his way, but he senses that the Sergeant has more to discuss. "Is there anything else?" he asked.

"I wanted to let you know that I took care of that family of Kubaz from Narvis Rock."

Sascha is stunned for a long moment, he had forgotten all about his run in with the family of Kubaz, lost in the chaos of the aftermath of the battle. The Padawan raged at himself internally for forgetting his promise. "Thank you very much Sergeant Hoskin," he said with deep appreciation.

The Sergeant shrugs, "You were my commanding officer, you essentially gave an order and I saw it through when you were unable to. Standard procedure for us military types, you know," he says deferentially.

"It's not standard for me, Sergeant. A Jedi never makes a promise that he cannot keep. I failed to keep my promise personally," Sascha clenches his fist in frustration. "An unacceptable failure on my part, thank you for not making me a liar."

"It was my pleasure; our noble Senator has even agreed to give the Kubaz refugee status on Kuat. They'll get a new start on Kuat," the older Kuati man gives Sascha a heartfelt expression, "It is rare that I get to do something that is an absolute good, that was one of those things. I felt I needed to do it after how awful things got on Narvis Rock."

Sascha is still cursing himself about his failure, but he knows there is no point in belaboring it. He is further irritated that he seems to now owe a debt to Senator Kuat. That was annoying. There was something else that he thinks that he should bring up with the Sergeant, "Sergeant, I know the other squads were not quite so fortunate, including Master Brynar's, I'd like to write a personal letter to the families of the soldiers that were lost on behalf of my Master…if you think that would be appropriate, of course."

The Sergeant seems immediately uncomfortable which confused him. Sergeant Hoskin stammers for a second before composing his answer, "You didn't hear this from me, but we've been told that we are to deny that the Jedi or the Judicials were in any way involved in the operation at Narvis Rock. The official story is that Narvis Rock was a KSF mission and it was a great victory, bringing some outlaw pirates to justice."

"I…see…" comments Sascha, his mind reeling.

Sergeant Hoskin shifts back-and-forth on his feet, a physical manifestation of his discomfort. "I know how that mission would have went had you Jedi not been there beside us. I likely would not be here talking to you. But, it's not my place to question the orders, just follow them."

"I know that, Sergeant. I may be young, but I know that you aren't to blame." Sascha knows exactly who is to blame for such a decree. "Thank you, Sergeant; you've been inordinately helpful to me during my time here. If the Force is kind, I'll have the opportunity to work with you again, maybe in slightly more happy circumstances."

"If…I could ask for a favour, Master Jedi?"

"I…sure, Sergeant."

The tall, well-built Sergeant seems deeply uncomfortable, even more uncomfortable than he had previously, "My kids would never forgive me if I met a Jedi and didn't get them some sort of memento for them. Could you…give me something for them?"

Sascha has no idea what the protocol is supposed to be in this situation. He doesn't exactly have a bunch of official Jedi holograms that he can give away. He would like to honor Hoskin's request though. He very much owes the Kuati for his fine service. "I'm willing to honor your request Sergeant, but I'm not sure what I can do for you. We Jedi are light on possessions."

The big man hesitates, "Perhaps you could just record a message for them."

That seems reasonable enough to the young Padawan, "What are your children's names?"

"My daughter is Elix, she's eight, my son is Hayden, and he's eleven."

Something occurs to Sascha, "You know I've never asked for your first name, Sergeant."

The Kuati grinned, "It's Thedorious on my birth certificate, but everyone just calls me Thed."

"Okay Thed, I'll record a couple of short messages for Elix and Hayden for you."

The Sergeant, Thed, bows his head slightly, "I'll transmit to your datapad where you can send the messages once you are done." Thed smiles, "Looks like I just got a great present to give my kids for the Tevanteer."

"It was a pleasure to work with you Thed. Hopefully our paths will cross again one day."

"I hope that I will see you again, Master Jedi, hopefully in happier times. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you, Thed Hoskin."

The Sergeant snaps into a salute and returns to the cafeteria.

Sascha takes a moment to absorb that conversation before walking down the corridor. He has nothing but positive thoughts towards Thed, but he's only a couple of steps away from the Sergeant when he remembers the other thing that the Sergeant had told him, that the Kuatis were taking a hundred percent of the credit for the operation on Narvis Rock. He can only see one person who would be interested in partaking in such a cynically manipulative move – Senator Kuat.

After a short walk down the corridor, Sascha flagged down an officer in a KSF uniform and after a brief conversation, he was directed to a room that had been assigned to him and Luminara. The Miralian wasn't currently in the room, which suited him fine, he was always more comfortable doing research when left alone. The room that the Jedi had been given was well appointed which made Sascha think that some high tier officer had been kicked out of his quarters for the duration of the journey to Kuat. Sascha also thought that if he was supposed to be impressed by the quality of the room, then the Kuatis didn't know him or Luminara very well.

Sascha found a port to charge his datapad, pulled up a chair to a small desk and he began to work. Research was something that he had always enjoyed and was good at. The days that he spent in the Temple archives tracking down any of the various requests that the Jedi in the field made of the Temple researchers were among his favourite in the of his youth. For him, there was nothing better than losing yourself in the history or politics of some planet he had never heard of before and by the end of the day being enough of an expert to help out his fellow Jedi.

Research, he had eventually learned, was something of an art. Good research practices were universal, but getting to the right information quickly and without being distracted by useless facts had more to do with intuition and experience and less to do with following best practices.

The first thing that he did to start his research session was cuing up some music to listen to. He didn't particularly care about what type of music it was, for him to operate at peak efficiency, all the music had to be was loud. The Padawan then began to write, scribble and erase, chart, examine and then edit. When he was finished, several hours had passed in what had only seemed like a few. He reviewed what he wrote:

'Itoma Kuat – 46 years old – Sitting Senator for Kuat in the Galactic Senate for the past two years

\- Possesses degrees from Kuat City University (Political Science and Economics) and Ossify University on Obroa-skai (Advanced Degree in Political Science)  
\- Active in domestic politics in Kuat, generally supporting the lower classes and trying to replace aristocratic institutions with democratic ones.  
\- Appointed to the Senate, age 44 by Onara Kuat, head of the Kuat family.  
\- Unremarkable run in the Senate, has introduced no legislation and has supported no controversial measures in the Senate.  
\- (Sascha's note: What has she been doing in the Senate? Are the aristocrats of unhappy by her unremarkable run as a representative in the Senate?)

Mission Timeline  
\- Attacked by 3 freighters and 8 Starfighters at Balmorra presumably under the command of Tu Dronos (Sascha's note: Still unknown how they knew to attack the Emerald Dream)  
\- Afterwards on Balmorra, Senator Kuat contacted the KSF and the Kuati Pride came to Balmorra to pick up the Senator. The Senator obtained consent from the Republic Judicials to undertake a mission to find who attacked the Senator. Narvis Rock was then assaulted by a Jedi/KSF force (Sascha's note: How did the Senator get approval so quickly? Why was the Senator so adamant about tracking down the attackers IMMEDIATELY, even putting her fellow Kuatis at risk?)  
\- Jedi/KSF force walks into a carefully designed trap from Tu Dronos. (Sascha's note: Who tipped off Tu Dronos, and why?)  
\- The KSF is taking all public credit for the assault on Narvis Rock, painting it as a great success masterminded by Senator Kuat. (Sascha's note: Move of an opportunistic Senator?)

Potential Persons behind the Attack:  
\- Senatorial opponents of Itoma Kuat (but whom and why?)  
\- Colonel Roy Zarbo (But if he wanted Itoma dead, couldn't he have easily managed this?)  
\- One of the Kuati aristocratic families (Why?)

Other Questions:  
\- Why was Itoma Kuat chosen to be a Senator in the first place?  
\- What is the state of the dissidents on Kuat?  
\- Who is informing on Itoma Kuat (and why?)

After reading his report over, he almost despaired. The list of questions was so long that he had no idea how he was going to get the answers to all of them. He wasn't even sure which questions would end up being important.

"Progress, Padawan?"

Sascha jumped at the unexpected voice and was halfway to drawing and igniting his lightsaber when he realized that it was just Luminara speaking to him. "Master Unduli! When did you enter?"

"Around twenty minutes ago, I didn't want to disturb your work, so I was quiet," the Miralian smirked at him, "Though I probably could have made quite a racket given how loud you have your music."

Profoundly embarrassed, Sascha turned off the music coming from his datapad. He hadn't even heard the Miralian enter the room! He was glad that it was Luminara that surprised him and not someone far more threatening, but while he was sure the Miralian could sense that, he wasn't going to admit it out loud. "I don't know if putting all the questions that I have into one document counts as progress, Master Unduli. I think I've crystalized the questions that need to be answered, but I'm no closer to finding the answers to any of them."

"Well, that's something at least, I'll review your findings later. Send it off to the Temple when you can, I'm sure they'll value the opinion of someone so close to the situation."

Sascha nodded and prepared his report so that as soon as his datapad detected that the Kuati Pride had exited hyperspace and communications to the outside galaxy was restored, the report would be transmitted. "Master Unduli, did you know that KSF personnel have been instructed to keep the fact that the mission to Narvis Rock was a mission sponsored by the Judicials and led by Jedi under wraps?"

The Miralian closed her eyes briefly, "The work of our noble Senator, you think?"

"I can't imagine anyone else who would even think of doing such a thing."

Luminara was silent for a long moment, "Well, I suppose she would not be a politician if she didn't take advantage of a situation in any way possible." Luminara scratched her chin with a long olive-skinned finger, "Or perhaps she is orchestrating this whole thing."

He shook his head, "That seems improbable, Master Unduli. Those pirates were extremely close to shooting us down over Balmorra and if she was orchestrating the attacks against her, she simply would have taken the escape pod and had the pirates not attack it. Using the same logic we can eliminate Colonel Zarbo, if he wanted the Senator dead he simply would have put her in an escape pod and have the pirates attack it."

The Miralian nodded slightly, "Very good logic, Padawan. Indeed, I doubt the Senator would be capable of such an act, but she is seemingly the person who has stood to benefit the most from all of this. Itoma Kuat is such a vexing person, she is clearly capable of great nobility and compassion, but equally capable of exploiting a situation like a run-of-the-mill politician."

Luminara's thoughts tended to echo his own, "Well we could confront her about it, she might tell us something useful, perhaps," he said.

"We could, but she is likely to take offense at being questioned."

"We could use the Force to probe her mind?"

Luminara raised her eyebrows, "Let's leave aside the ethics of such a decision for a moment. Do you really think that Senator Kuat would easily give away that information?"

"Um…no. She seems too strong willed for that."

"Exactly my point, Sascha."

"I…I'm sorry I even suggested it."

A tiny smirk appeared on Luminara's lips, "It's something that young Jedi seem to think is easy, that we can just discern who the 'bad' beings are just by using the barest of probes. That technique is only ever really effective in learning things that are at the forefront of a person's mind. To go beyond that and really 'into' someone's mind is both dangerous and ethically dubious."

There wasn't much for him to argue with there, "Thanks for the lesson, Master Unduli."

The Miralian smiled, "You are quite welcome, Sascha."

"This whole thing isn't right though," he says ruefully. "We led the KSF troops in that mission, Master Brynar was almost killed, and now we get no credit for it?"

The Miralian crossed her arms across her chest, "Is that why you wanted to be a Jedi, Sascha? So you could receive praise on the Holonet? So everyone would know the name Sascha Whitestar?"

"No, of course not, Master Unduli. Having our efforts turned into a political victory for Senator Kuat is not exactly what I risked my life for either though."

Luminara comes over to his side and speaks in a calming tone, "Padawan, you will go through missions where no one will thank you for risking your life, in fact you will be on missions where people will curse you for saving their lives. You have to accept that you know that you did good work, which must be its own reward."

"I will do so, Master Unduli, thank you for the lesson."

The Miralian went back to her chair and sat down, "Since you've updated me on your progress, I'll update you on mine. I've reviewed the plans that Colonel Zarbo and Itoma Kuat have made for their time on Kuat. Fortunately for us, it seems they are taking their security quite seriously. For her stay on Kuat, the Senator will be staying at a secluded home owned by the Kuat family. Security will be provided by us and the KSF, and only a handful of people are being made aware of her location. However, the Senator does seem to be adamant about attending the Tevanteer banquet in a few days in Kuat City."

"Can't we talk the Senator out of appearing at the Tevanteer banquet? If there are people out there looking to kill her, a public setting where she is scheduled to appear would be the most obvious time and place to attack," Sascha opined.

"I foresee that being unlikely, Itoma Kuat is quite hard-headed, and skipping out on the Tevanteer Banquet would show weakness, something she is clearly not fond of doing. We will have to deal with the Tevanteer Banquet when that time comes," said Luminara.

"I'll just be glad to get my feet on solid ground again," he sighed.


	29. Kuat, Estates, Aristocrats

The next day, Sascha accepted the invitation of Captain Kessler and Itoma Kuat to be on the bridge of the Kuati Pride as the ship arrived in the Kuat system. As the glittering blue of hyperspace reverted to the normal blackness of space dotted by stars, Sascha got his first view of Kuat. The planet itself had been beautifully terraformed more than twenty thousand years ago and had been well maintained since then. Kuat had a little bit of everything – plains, forests, canyons, a couple of large oceans and pockets of rivers and lakes.

The planet itself was not as interesting as what Kuat had become famous for – its impressive shipyards, the Kuat Drive Yards, which spanned the entire diameter of the planet. As Sascha watched, he could see many different types of ships under construction, the largest being what appeared to be a Mandator-class Star Dreadnaught, a blocky but formidable capital ship. Overall, the Kuat Drive Yards were bustling with activity, business appeared to be good.

"I never get tired of seeing the Drive Yards," commented Itoma Kuat, sweeping onto the bridge from behind the young Jedi. The Senator was wearing a long, traditionally cut dress that was black with hints of dark blue, and her hair was tied in a tight bob. It was a look that was more conservative than some of the other outfits Sascha has seen her wear.

"I suppose if my family owned the Drive Yards in perpetuity I'd enjoy looking at them too," he replied.

Itoma gave Sascha an arch look, "Do you think that the only thing I see when I look at the Drive Yards is profit?" He shrugged in response, and the Senator laughed, "Well you aren't wrong, the profits from the Drive Yards could fund my family for the next thousand generations, the question is if they should."

"I don't understand, Senator. The Inheritance Exemption, as negotiated several thousand years ago, gives control of the Drive Yards to the Kuat Family in perpetuity and it's been a great success for the Ten families of Kuat since its introduction. It has allowed your family to focus its efforts entirely on running the shipyards, instead of worrying about backstabbing from one of the other families."

"So you know a little bit of our history, Master Jedi?"

He took note of being referred to as 'Master Jedi, as far as he could remember that was the first time he had been called that by honorarium by the Senator. An attempt to butter him up, he assumed, "A Jedi must research the history and culture of the planet he is visiting, don't you think, Senator?" he responded, a little frostiness in his tone.

"Was the study of our history interesting, Padawan?" inquired the Senator in a friendly manner.

"I find that there is always something of interest in the history of every planet in the Republic," Sascha hedged.

"I see that the Jedi have taught their apprentices how to be politically correct," Senator Kuat mused. "Very well, I'll get to my point, is it a good thing that the profits from the Kuat Drive Yards go almost exclusively to my family and the other aristocrats on Kuat?"

"The Ten families terraformed this planet at great expense, they built the Drive Yards and they have seen them become the prominent shipyards in the Republic only after overcoming fearsome competition from many different planets, and only over many thousands of years. Do you not think that they should not be rewarded for their efforts?" he countered.

"Shouldn't the workers of the shipyards be rewarded for putting in the long hours to build those ships that allowed the Kuat Drive Yards to become the preeminent shipyard in the galaxy?"

"I don't know Senator, I can hardly claim to be an expert on the internal economics of Kuat, I'm merely a Jedi apprentice."

The Senator seemed unhappy at that response and began to pace slowly, "It pains me that Kuat is so rich, but the people have no say in the appointment of their leaders. I find it abhorrent that the poor on our world live much the same as poor beings on other, less developed worlds. The wealth of Kuat should be for all, not for just some that were fortunate enough to be born in the right family."

"Like you, Senator," he pointed out.

Itoma Kuat seemed solemn, "Yes, like me, though I am not like the other members of my family. I have seen the slums of Kuat City, I have worked with those in poverty to try to help them escape their economic state. My family sees the poorer sections of Kuat City as the cost of doing business , Onara Kuat, the head of my family, would say 'If there are rich people, there must be poor people.' It is simple economics for her, but she lives a life of luxury. I may be a Kuat in name, but my mother is of a distant branch of the family, wealthy? Sure. But not ignorant of how the others on my planet live."

"I'm really not experienced enough in the ways of the galaxy to have this debate," Sascha admitted.

The Senator smirked at him, "That is very wise of you, Sascha. Most people your age think that they know more than their elders. I guess that speaks to the education given to you by the Jedi."

Sascha isn't quite sure how to respond to that, "Thank you, I think."

Itoma Kuat smiled slightly, "Still a bit wary of me, are you?"

"Yes," he said bluntly, before he realized that he should have kept his mouth shut. Mentally, he facepalms at his stupidity.

"I appreciate your honesty, Padawan. It only seems fair, since I have done so little to earn your trust."

He shrugs languidly, not trusting himself to use words in this conversation anymore. He's rescued as Luminara appeared on the bridge behind him. She moveed beside him gracefully, eyeing the Senator coolly, "Having a nice conversation with Senator Kuat, are you, Padawan?"

"Yes, Master Unduli. We were just discussing the Drive Yards," he said diplomatically.

A smile tugs at the lips of the Senator, while Luminara moves in front of him like a mother protecting her flock, "I'm surprised that you are engaged in a debate at all, given how silent you have been in the Senate," says Luminara. Sascha mentally chalks up a point for the Miralian.

"I'm only interested in conversing with those that have open minds, that is why I was interested in talking with the young apprentice," replies Senator Kuat, unruffled by Luminara. Sascha grudgingly grants a point to the Senator for the snappy comeback.

"If you see your fellow Senators that way, I wonder why you don't just resign from the Senate?" asks Luminara

"If I were interested in torpedoing my political career, that would certainly be a good way of doing it," responded Senator Kuat, her tone low, dangerous.

Luminara stares at the Senator her facial expression wavering somewhere between disdain and hostility. Sascha intervenes, stepping forward, "How would it damage your political career, Senator Kuat? You have a good reason to abandon your post in the Senate, given the threats directed at you."

Itoma blinked at him, incredulous, "And let whoever is threatening me get their way? Is this the wise counsel of the Jedi?"

"The Padawan was just asking a question, Senator Kuat," says Luminara frostily, "There is no need to lash out at him."

Itoma glares at Luminara, before glancing downward, "My apologies. I am just so frustrated that despite all we have done, all the losses that we have taken, that we are no closer to finding out who is threatening my life!"

"We are working on it," the Miralian said in a calm tone.

Itoma rubs her temples, "Yes, I know. And I thank you for all that you have done so far. I don't say thank you often enough. I'm just not sure you Jedi know what it is like to have to fear everyone around you, to have to be aware of the possibility that around every corner there could be someone holding a blaster that desires to end my life." Itoma hugs her arms around her body, "You Jedi get the benefit of being able to sense things that us normal beings will never sense, and you are warriors without equal. Me? I'm just human, and no matter how many self-defence classes I take, I know if someone wants me dead, they'll get their way eventually."

For the first time, Sascha feels real pity for Itoma Kuat. He probably should have felt pity for her previously, but only now does he realize how desperate the Senator has become to try to regain some sense of normalcy in her life. Sascha wonders what it is like to be 'normal,' to not have the benefit of Jedi senses or years of martial training. He's beginning to understand how fragile a life really can be.

"We will find whoever is making these attempts on your life," Luminara replies, her tone far friendlier than it had been earlier.

Itoma straightened, trying to rediscover her normal, more assured bearing, "I am sure you will. And I am confident that I have not gone wrong placing my faith with the Jedi. Excuse me though, I must make sure I am fully packed for the shuttle ride to the surface." The Senator from Kuat doesn't exactly wait for a reply from the Jedi, she merely strides out the door, head held high.

Luminara caresses her temples, "That conversation had so many twists and turns I felt like I was on a theme park ride." She heads towards the door, "But Itoma's advice was good, we should double-check what we have packed and bring our things to the shuttle."

Sascha almost protests, he's double-checked his travel bag at least four times in the past two days, but he merely nods and follows Luminara out the door. When the Jedi return to their room, and the door closes behind them, the Miralian immediately turns to face him, "You should be more careful when dealing with Senator Kuat, Sascha."

"I'm sorry Master Unduli, did I do something wrong?" he asked, annoyed by the little tremble that his voice has.

"No, of course not. You were perfectly polite. Senator Kuat on the other hand…" The Miralian shakes her head, "I can't get a read on her."

"What should I have done? I was invited to the bridge, I couldn't just feign hyperspace sickness."

Luminara's mouth twitched, "Sorry Sascha, you acted fine, it's just that I'm wary of leaving you alone with Senator Kuat."

"Because she's dangerous?" he asked.

"She's dangerous in a way that you are not taught to combat at the Temple," replied Luminara, "And thus you must be extra careful."

"I agree with that, Master Unduli. But I can't just pretend that I'm a deaf mute."

Luminara smiled lightly, "I understand that Sascha, and I understand that your first instinct is to always be polite. But around Senator Kuat, I'd prefer if you said little, even if it approaches being impolite."

Sascha remembers how he had said too much in an innocent conversation and feels his lips turn downward, "I agree. I need to learn when to speak and when not to speak."

"A lesson it took even me a long time to learn," Luminara said ruefully. She forced a cheerful smile onto her face, "Come, Sascha, it is time to see Kuat up close."

The Senator, Colonel Zarbo and the two Jedi reached the surface of Kuat without incident, a blessed change for once on this mission. The secluded residence chosen by Colonel Zarbo to house the Senator for her time on Kuat was more of an estate, which was located on a sprawling, immensely large piece of property that was immaculately maintained. The estate was located slightly outside of Kuat City, the capital city of the planet. The vast property was secluded enough that there was almost no one around to be seen besides the Senator, Colonel Zarbo and the security force guarding the estate. Yet, if anyone wanted to travel to Kuat City it was a short ride speeder ride away. It was, thought Sascha, the perfect spot to set up a temporary headquarters.

When they arrived, Luminara and Sascha split up to investigate the overly large and grandiose house, searching for any hidden traps that could have been lying in wait. This task, thought the young Padawan, was one of the most boring things he had done on this entire mission. Upon entering yet another bedroom, he was beginning to be disgusted at the obvious trappings of wealth in this clearly little used estate. This particular bedroom had paintings from artists across the galaxy and they were not merely reproductions of famous works, or holos of the same works, but the originals, each of them likely worth hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of credits. All of them were just sitting in this house where it appeared that no one had used for several months. He was disgusted by the waste of credits that this represented. Why did the Kuat family need such an ostentatious display of wealth in this estate? What was the point?

As if to further emphasize his point, the bed in the bedroom he was investigating, which wasn't even the master bedroom of the house, was probably too large to fit inside his modest room in the Jedi Temple. It did not make him jealous; he'd never had too much trouble with the tenet of Jedi teachings that Jedi did not keep many possessions. It did however, make him sympathize with what Senator Kuat had been saying earlier, it was one thing for a family to be wealthy and to live in a nice house, it was another to have a large estate, worth millions and millions of credits that was barely being used.

The two Jedi searched the home top to bottom, but could find nothing more threatening than a harmless Carlis spider that he easily captured and released back into the wild. The Senator claimed the outrageously lavish master bedroom for her own, though to her credit she seemed embarrassed by the preposterously extravagant nature of the room that featured everything from a full sized holoprojector, to a bed that could have fit a family of Gammoreans on it.

After the Jedi had swept the house, they settled in to a new routine, one that was much less strenuous then the days past. He and Luminara had decided that one of them would always be always personally guarding the Senator, ensuring her protection.

However Sascha found this new routine difficult to adapt to. After all the action of the past few days, he thought that he would enjoy this period of seeming quiet, but instead he found himself prowling around the estate grounds restlessly. Frustrated at himself for engaging in such a useless activity he sought out Luminara who was standing guard outside of the Senator's room as she conducted her business. Luminara cocked an eyebrow at him as he approached, "You seem restless, young Padawan," commented the Miralian Jedi Knight.

"I'm sorry Master, I don't know why that is. I'm usually much calmer, but I couldn't even meditate when I tried earlier," spoke the irritated Padawan.

"Perhaps you'd like an assignment then."

"I'd like that, Master Luminara."

"Very well, you may take over my duties guarding the Senator while I rest."

Sascha couldn't keep the disappointment off his face, but Luminara smirked and continued "Don't worry, when I'm finished resting, I think it might be time for you to go exploring in Kuat City don't you think? Do some preliminary planning in the next few hours, but please don't let anything happen to the Senator while I'm asleep, it would be very embarrassing…for both of us."

Sascha promised that he would remain vigilant and took up Luminara's former posting outside the door, all the while contemplating what he wanted to accomplish in Kuat City and how he was going to do so.


	30. Cloaked

After several boring hours of standing outside of Itoma Kuat's room while she slept, Sascha was relieved by Luminara in the early hours of Kuat's twenty-hour day. The two Jedi briefly discussed the best way to search for the information that he was going to look for in Kuat City. Sascha mostly listened to the Miralian's advice, assuming that she knew a lot more about the topic at hand than he did. Before he left, he promised her that he would not take any risks in his little expedition.

He immediately started up stage one of his plan, he meanders to his room in the large estate, sets his alarm and falls into a deep, restful sleep.

After his slumber, Sascha dressed for his mission in the pre-dawn haze. There is not much choice in what he can wear for his reconnaissance mission, unfortunately. Though his gray Jedi robes are fairly nondescript in and of themselves, it's not exactly what teenagers in Kuat City would wear. The only other piece of clothing he can add is his worn, brown, travelers cloak. He shrugged to himself, again it is not what people his age would wear, but he doesn't have much choice in the matter.

He also tries his best to conceal his Padawan braid, removing the green and teal ribbons from it and trying to hide it underneath his hair the best he can. The Padawan braid is another well-known mark of a Jedi, though perhaps because of this, it had also been a fashion trend on many different worlds at various times, so it was not as much of a giveaway of a Jedi's identity as it may have seemed.

He stopped himself for a second, wondering if he should bother concealing his identity as a Jedi at all. While there are certain perks about being recognized as a Jedi, he becomes an object of interest immediately. He wanted to scout the mood of Kuat city, and it is easier to do that if he is able to blend in.

Satisfied that he's done the best he could at concealing his identity with the materials at hand, Sascha opened the window to his 3rd story room, the only reason he chose this particularly ostentatious room, and drops silently to the ground. He stayed in his crouch for a moment, listening if there is any reaction to his escape. There isn't. Sascha releases a breath that he hadn't realized that he'd been holding.

He stealthily moved through the pre-dawn haze, avoiding the patrols of the KSF personnel that were traversing the estate. Normally that might have been difficult, but they aren't looking for a Jedi. Sascha sends a silent thanks to his Master for teaching him how to move in stealth. Once he is out of the estate, he walks towards Kuat City for about half an hour before using his comlink to call for an airtaxi to take him into Kuat City.

Kuat City is a sprawling metropolis of a city, with its most famous feature being the elegant KDY towers that evoked the shipyards above in their design – the towers themselves held the planet side administrative offices of the Kuat Drive Yards. He walked around the city on foot, trying to get a feel for the mood in the city, Luminara had reminded him before he left that as good as his research was, the words written on the datapad were not always reflective of the real condition of the city.

The citizens of Kuat were mostly human, but there was certainly more than a sprinkling of non-humans in evidence as well, though not to the same extent as Coruscant. The wealth of the city was also evident as well; fine jewelry was not uncommon to be seen on old and young alike. He judged the mood of the city to be upbeat, just another fine day in Kuat City, business was good and the mood of the people reflected it.

Sascha opened himself up to the Force briefly to see if it would direct him anywhere in particular but it was silent for the moment. Typical, he thought. The young human Padawan continued to scout around the city looking for anything of interest, though he's slightly bothered by a growing sense that something is off, he can't place exactly why he feels that way.

He continued to feel more and more uneasy the deeper he walked into Kuat City, so he decides to make his first stop, choosing a nearby restaurant in which to collect his thoughts, and as his stomach reminds him, to get something to eat. The restaurant he chose is nothing special or unique, just a chain restaurant in the middle of a large city, it's as anonymous as it gets. A hospitality droid seats him by himself and he uses the digital menu to order up a plate of assorted appetizers and a glass of muja juice. While he's waiting for his order to be cooked and brought to him, he again opens himself up to the Force trying to discern what is bothering him.

As he extends his senses outward, he feels the urge to look at one of the customers. The customer of interest is a standard looking human with close cropped dark hair, he seems like just another businessman getting an early lunch, his clothes were well maintained but not remarkable in any way. Even as Sascha stares at him, the man pays him absolutely no attention. Frustrated, he wonders why this particular man is worthy of his attention. Master Brynar's voice comes into his head, 'trust the Force Padawan,' it says to him. 'If you say so Master,' replies Sascha silently.

Lightly he probes the man's mind, nothing too invasive, just a light touch, seeing the thoughts that are at the fore of his mind. His person of interest doesn't seem remarkable in any way, he seems intent on his meal and he has a cool sort of professionalism that reminds him of…

…a soldier.

He's being tracked, he finally realized. Sascha resisted the urge to get up and leave the restaurant immediately and forces himself to think through the situation. The first thing that he has to figure out is how he had been tracked to this very innocuous restaurant. After a quick moment of thought, he concluded that perhaps his window had been monitored, perhaps with a video camera, but a mere pressure sensor would have told a similar story. From there he could have been followed without him noticing, or more likely, whoever was tracking him simply monitored the air taxi traffic and followed him from there. Sascha hadn't thought he could be followed, so he hadn't bothered to take any evasive action. He makes a mental note never to be that careless ever again.

Cursing at himself for being complacent, he tried to think about who would be interested in following him. It was likely to be the KSF, he thought, judging by the professionalism of his tracker. To a certain extent he sympathized with them, he'd probably want to track a Jedi if he was in charge of planetary security, but he wasn't thrilled at being tracked either. He supposed the other possibility was that he was being tracked by a bounty hunter, but he discounts that based on the man's professionalism.

Sascha extended his senses in the Force past the man and into the immediate surroundings. He felt three other presences that shared the cool professionalism of the man watching him in the restaurant. Well, at least they thought highly enough of me to try to track me with at least four people he thought with a wry smile.

Knowing how to lose a tail was one of the more unique lessons that Master Brynar had taught him at the Jedi Temple. Sascha still had fond memories of trying to lose his Master in the labyrinthine Temple. He'd yet to have success in successfully losing Aurine, but while his Master was a Jedi Knight, these KSF counter-intelligence agents were not and they were about to find out how hard it was to keep track of a Jedi, even a mediocre Padawan like him. He sighed and began to formulate a plan for losing his tail, all the while munching on his newly arrived food.

A new patron entered the restaurant and almost immediately sought his attention. She was of average height she had slight build and was dressed in a dark blue jumpsuit that seemed more practical than fashionable, an odd choice for a fashion conscious Kuati. She caught Sascha's eye and seemed to seek permission to come and sit with him, he returned a subtle shrug and kept his posture, open, inviting.

Taking the cue, the stranger exclaimed, "Famker Nelisse it is you!" as she walked over to his table.

"It's good to see you…old friend," responded Sascha. He was wondering what he was getting into, but committed himself to playing this charade to its logical end. "Sit down, help yourself to the food, I think I ordered too much."

"You always were generous, Famker," replied the stranger, who grabbed a couple of Bantha nuggets, "I'm Seline, you remember, Gravit's girlfriend?

"Uh, yeah, I remember you…" By the Force, what is he doing in this conversation?

"So, what is new with you, make any new friends lately?" asked Seline in a friendly manner.

He appeared to consider this question, "You know it does feel like I'm about four times more popular than I used to be." Sascha was not quite sure what the point of talking in code was, the conversation was laughably fake, and lacked anything resembling subtlety. If someone had managed to listen in, Sascha was pretty sure that he or she could decode the conversation with ease, however Sascha's watcher was positioned far too far way to be able to hear the current discussion. Never knew who could be listening though, he supposed.

"Wow, that popular, eh? I didn't know that you did anything that was that special," continued Seline, an amused expression on her face. "Well, if you want to meet up with the old crew, we are getting together here in an hour," she hands Sascha a piece of flimsy with coordinates scribbled on them "we'd love to catch up and find out how you became so popular all of a sudden."

"Sure, that sounds great, Seline."

"Oh, and make sure your other friends don't tag along, this is kind of an invite-only type of deal."

"I'll come alone or not at all," he promised solemnly.

"Okay, see you soon," commented Seline cheerfully. She then quickly makes her way out of the restaurant, leaving him alone to consider what just happened.

Sascha is not sure if he has just engaged in the best sort of field craft or the worst sort. He is also not sure where exactly this is leading, but it could be nothing. But, he remembered, he was only here to see if he could find anything interesting about Kuat City, and this certainly qualified as interesting.

He replays the conversation in his mind, trying to determine if he is being led into a trap. It could be a scheme played on tourists, he considers, but he thinks that he's too roughly dressed and frankly too young to be a mark for such a scheme. He didn't sense any ill intent from Seline when she was here, but that did not mean that her 'friends' would feel the same way. He remembers his promise to Luminara that he wouldn't take any undue risks and he considers contacting her, but in the end he decides that he's not taking that big a risk. He can always back out if he felt like he was in danger.

As Sascha finished his meal, he decided that he would meet Seline at the coordinates in an hour, if it turned out to be a trap, it would have to be a good enough trap to ensnare a Jedi. But first, he had to lose his tail, which he though was a mere walk in the park considering what else he had already gone through on this mission.

With an hour before his meeting with…whomever he's going to be meeting, Sascha knows that he has a fair amount of time to work with, but he doesn't intend to waste any of it, in case something unexpected occurred. He strolls leisurely down one of the main avenues of Kuat City, taking the time to ensure that he can recognize each of the mental presences of the agents following him. It's not all that difficult, the keen awareness of the military trained agents stands out from the average Kuati like a sore thumb.

Sacha then moved to his intended destination, the Kuat City Central Archives, a tall, lean, building in one of the nicer sections of Kuat City. He had researched the building earlier when he had thought that he might use it as a place where he could conduct some local research – while the resources on his datapad were numerous, they were certainly not exhaustive, especially when it came to rare, indigenous sources. Now, his research would be used in a different way, he thought to himself, amused.

He made his way to the 7th floor of the library, where the rare manuscripts are stored and ignores the questioning glances of the Kuati librarian, perhaps wondering what a hooded, school aged human wants amongst these old books, some in-depth research for a school project perhaps? He paused, admiring the dedication of a society to maintain these artifacts from a bygone era, something that too few societies choose to do these days, given how everything is digital. He'd love to see the rare manuscripts for himself, but he's busy a bit busy. Unfortunate.

Thus, he made his way to his intended destination, a window on the side of the building. Sascha feels the presence of two of his followers on this floor and another down by what he thinks is the first floor, the fourth is outside the building somewhere. He almost feels bad for what he is going to do. He is pretty sure that the agent in charge of this assignment will receive the tongue lashing of his life for losing a fifteen year old, Jedi or not.

As he opened the window and stares downward, he has to fight against his natural instinct to turn around and head back inside. Taking a deep breath, he summons his courage and perhaps more importantly he summons the Force to aid him. While he could have used some advanced acrobatics using nearby buildings to jump down in spectacular fashion, he doesn't particularly want to miss a jump and plummet to what would be a rather serious injury, at the very least.

Using a technique that he practiced in the Temple when he was younger and then was forced to master during his rigorous training with Aurine, he leaps on an angle down to the ground seven floors below. His dark brown cloak flaps around him wildly, but he pays little heed to this, he's focused on the ground, already pushing on it with the Force slightly, slowing his decent by the smallest of amounts. As he gets closer to the ground, he increases that push, slowing him enough that as he tucks himself tightly into a ball, when he impacts with the ground, he merely rolls with it. Sascha pops up from his roll and nods to himself, a seven-story drop perfectly executed, Master Brynar would have been proud.

That death-defying drop is only part of the solution to his current problem. While he's managed to strand two of the agents that were tracking him inside the library, he's not out of his predicament yet. There are still two agents that can follow him, so he needs to lose his remaining pursuers, and quickly.

He starts off in a random direction, walking quickly but not quick enough to draw any undue attention, just another youngling that seems like he is late for school. He weaves a manic pattern in the busy streets of Kuat City, throwing in unpredictable changes of direction, reversing course randomly, as well as pausing for minutes at a time. Several minutes after he dove from the library window, Sascha finally turns a corner and pauses, breathing hard and sweating slightly in the bright midday sun.

He stretches out his senses in the Force again and is stunned to find that all four of the KSF agents have managed to follow him. Worse yet, they don't even seem bothered by his evasive manoeuvres.

Dumbfounded, he tries to think how that is even possible. He admits that it was possible that one person could have followed him, but all four? That seemed impossible. As the Padawan pauses, he tries to think about how he could have been followed, and then groans when he realizes the obvious conclusion. The KSF put a tracking device on him.

The first rule for any Jedi when leaving the Temple was being aware of their surroundings, which was a lesson that had been drilled into him by Master Trynith. While he's always been aware of his immediate surroundings, he hasn't always kept track of his possessions. And he remembered leaving his cloak in his room while he guarded, so it was certainly conceivable that a KSF agent could have put a small bug on his cloak when he wasn't around. Right now he doesn't have the time to conduct a detailed search to find where the bug is on his cloak. He could simply drop the cloak on the ground and try to lose the agents again, without their tracking device, he'd at least have a level playing field. The only problem with that is underneath his cloak are his Jedi robes, which aren't revealing in and of themselves, but the lightsaber on his hip would certainly be a dead giveaway of his identity. While he doesn't really have a problem with revealing he is a Jedi, he isn't sure he wants to reveal that to Seline and her friends just yet.

Sascha also considers just turning around and finding one of the KSF agents that is tracking him and explaining the situation to them. It is possible that he could get them to see sense and not follow him, though that might not work either.

Only one option left, the Padawan surmised, try to find some unfortunate Kuati citizen willing to trade his cloak for theirs. Though, looking around at the various brightly coloured cloaks favoured by the Kuati citizenry, he wasn't sure that his rough shorn brown cloak was likely to be a big seller. Well in a place like Kuat that was highly business centric there was always a place to make a deal…

Sascha had seen the open air market as he weaved through the streets and made note of it as a good place to avoid his trackers, but as he strolls leisurely towards the market again, he takes a good look at it. It's reminiscent of an old world bazaar, shops and kiosks are laid out along the roadway, selling everything from electronics, to droids to fashion and fashion accessories. Sascha can still sense the four agents moving with him, carefully hidden from his view, but still confident in their ability to monitor the Jedi.

He enters a small kiosk that he sees sells cloaks in the Kuati fashion. Once inside he removes his old cloak and puts on the first passable looking cloak in his size, it's rather garish in his opinion, a red and black cloak with gold piping but it does fit in with what the average Kuati is wearing. As he takes his new purchase to the merchant at the front, he almost balks at the price that he quotes, Sascha isn't an expert in the pricing of Kuati cloaks but he's almost entirely sure the Duros merchant is gouging him in the extreme. Sascha has no time to protest or haggle, he just counts out the credits, and hands them to the merchant, who smiles widely and tells him to come back soon. He resists a glib comment, time is of the essence after all, and makes his way back to the center of the marketplace, now just one of the masses, his new cloak giving him an added degree of anonymity.

He still holds on to his old brown cloak, it still has a role to play in his plan. He can feel a small amount of confusion from his pursuers, his brown cloak no longer identifies him in the crowd. Their agitation and confusion is music to his ears. From the centre of the marketplace, the Padawan quickly identifies a section of the market that has less foot traffic and he walks casually to that area and looks around to make sure no one is paying attention to him. No one is, so he puts the last phase of his plan in motion, using the Force he floats the old brown cloak from ground level onto the 2nd floor of a nearby building. Now with the tracking device in a completely different building and location from him, he feels like he's done as much as he can to ensure his trackers are well and truly flummoxed.

Goodbye, old cloak, you've served me well, the Padawan says silently. Then rechecking his positioning and the coordinates he was given earlier, he makes his way to a meeting that he sure hopes was worth all this trouble.


	31. Chancy Meetings

The coordinates for the meeting spot chosen by Seline was in a quieter part of Kuat City, at an intersection of some minor roads. As he circled around the area, there were some Kuati citizens bustling about, and some speeder traffic, but nowhere near the crowds of the marketplace or one of the larger thoroughfares. Sascha approved of such a meeting place, because there are several different escape routes possible. Fortunately that applied to the people he's meeting as well as himself.

Having done his preliminary scouting of the area, he took out his datapad and feigned being engrossed in what is on the screen, all the while actually actively scanning the intersection, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. He also took a brief moment to open himself up to the Force, trying to discern if he is taking the right path by going on this meeting. The Force, as usual, was silent on the matter.

At the appointed time, Sascha sighed and strode into the middle of the intersection, and as he does, he spots Seline coming from the opposite direction. He offers her an unobtrusive little wave. As recognition dawned on her face, she grins widely at him and waves towards a parked speeder nearby, a newish model that looks slightly worse for wear, its paint is slightly scuffed and there are a few dents dotting its sides. Well, here goes nothing, Sascha thought to himself. He walked towards the indicated speeder, which contains another person, but he can feel no malice or intent to harm from either of the two Kuati citizens, simply idle curiosity. He follows Seline into the speeder and she closes the door behind him.

"Hands where I can see them," Seline said authoritatively. Sascha was surprised to realize that his hands raise almost by instinct and quicker than he can process, his female 'friend' slaps a pair of stuncuffs on his wrists. Off to a good start, Sascha thinks to himself dryly.

"Ow," complained the Padawan, "what was that for?"

Seline ignores the question, "Did you lose those KSF agents?"

Sascha looks out the window, "Those guys? Yeah like twenty minutes ago…are the stuncuffs really necessary?" he asked, putting a hint of childish arrogance in his voice, the better to placate his companion. He's going to try to act his age for once.

"Standard procedure, sorry," continued Seline, "I'm going to blindfold you now, is that alright?"

"Doesn't really seem like I have a choice," Sascha complained bitterly. Seline tied on the blindfold gently enough that Sascha is pretty sure that he isn't being kidnapped, though these security precautions aren't putting him at ease either. Sascha can feel the speeder lifting off and even though he's blindfolded, he begins to count the turns that the speeder is making, so potentially he can figure out where he's being taken.

"Why were those KSF agents following you? It'd be pretty low even of the KSF to start harassing younglings," asks Seline.

"I'm not a youngling, I'm fifteen!" he complained childishly. "And I don't know what, specifically they want from me, but I can take a few guesses." Time to start asking some questions he thought, "Where are you guys taking me? I didn't exactly sign up to get kidnapped."

"I ask the questions here, youngling," said Seline a hint of amusement in her voice. "What's your name anyway?"

"Sascha Whitestar."

Seline snorted, "That's a funny name; you should have stuck with Famker Nelisse."

"Sorry, I guess I must have slept in the day names were being handed out," Sascha remarked wryly. "I guess you won't be telling me your real name, right Seline?" There was no response from 'Seline' but Sascha does sense a glimmer of amusement from her through the Force.

"Question time is over now, just take a nap or something for a while, I'm not a daycare operator."

Sascha grumbled something incoherent and eases his body position, feigning relaxation, all the while trying to get a sense of his location and a better feel for his captors. He doesn't feel like he's in danger, but he is currently handcuffed and blindfolded, hardly an ideal situation either.

When the speeder finally comes to a stop, he was sure that they have left the confines of Kuat City, and he estimates that they are about a ten-minute speeder ride away from the city itself. Still handcuffed and blindfolded, he was led inside a building, while Seline ignores his continuing questions about when he's going to get out from the cuffs. He's led into a room, where he can detect three more presences, with there being something familiar about a few of them.

His captor finally removed his stuncuffs and blindfold and, he saw that he is seated across from a stern looking man approaching the start of old age. His close-cropped hair is mostly silver but with hints of black, which gives him the look of a schoolteacher, though it is belied by the fact that his body is still clearly in fighting shape beneath his somewhat dour clothing. The room itself could have defined 'sparsely furnished' in the dictionary, there was just the table and two chairs in the room. The other four Kuati's including Seline and the driver of the speeder are positioned near the wall behind him.

"What is your name, young one?" asked the older gentleman.

"Sascha Whitestar."

"And Sascha Whitestar, do you know why you were being followed by four KSF agents on this fine day?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "I have some ideas."

The Kuati man raises an eyebrow inquisitively, clearly encouraging him to continue. Sascha decides it is time to end this little charade, "May I remove something from my cloak without getting blasted by those fine soldiers of yours behind me?"

"How do you know they are soldiers?" the man asked calmly, though his surprise ripples in the Force.

He smiled easily, "Wild guess?"

The Kuati man considered for a second and spoke, "As long as you don't attack me with whatever you have in your cloak."

Sascha nodded his acceptance of the man's terms, removes his lightsaber from his belt, and dropped it with an audible 'thunk' onto the table. There is a noticeable gasp from the people behind Sascha, and one of them exclaims "that's a Jedi lightsaber!" but the man across from him maintains a stoic disposition which he notes with interest.

"I take it," the man said dryly "That this is an authentic Jedi weapon and not one of those replicas you can find in the marketplace."

Sascha ignores the glib remark and gives the man a seated half-bow, "I am Jedi Padawan Sascha Whitestar," he said, shaking his Padawan braid out from under his dark brown hair, "and you would be…?"

Before his interrogator could respond, one of the men behind him shouted, "He's with the KSF! He'll lead them right to us!"

Sascha turned towards the four people behind him, Seline and the driver are there, learning nonchalantly against the wall, but the other two are unknown to him, though clearly they are ex-soldiers judging by their military bearing. The man that spoke is the youngest, and he currently has his blaster half aimed at him. "I'm not working with the KSF…the KSF were tracking me," Sascha siadin a flat, unemotional tone, trying to keep the man calm.

It wasn't entirely successful, "But how can we trust you? You're probably using one of those Jedi mind tricks I've heard about." Sascha sighed, that particular piece of anti-Jedi propaganda has been around forever and it becomes very difficult to have a conversation with someone who thinks they are being manipulated. Nonetheless, he is committed to resolving this misconception.

But before he can he is interrupted, "Jorg, stand down. All of you, leave us," the commanding tone of the elder man leaves no argument about who was in charge.

"But, he's a Jedi!" protests Jorg.

Sacha's interrogator glares fiercely at Jorg, "And if he had wanted us all dead he's more than capable of doing so Jorg, I've seen Jedi fight, he'd carve us up as easily as carving a cake, the fact that he hasn't done so indicates that he's not interested in that, correct Padawan?"

"I have no interest in harming anyone here, only gathering information," he confirmed.

There are a few grumbles about being dismissed from the room, but Sascha sensed that it was more about wanting to hear what he has to say than actually fearing for their commander's life. As Sascha takes his lightsaber off the table and places it back on his belt, the Kuati man spoke in an apologetic tone, "Sorry about that, but I think we are all a little bit on edge, not everyone has the same faith in the Jedi that I do it seems."

He nods respectfully, "Thank you…"

"…Alpha, you can call me Alpha for now." Alpha was an obvious pseudonym, but it doesn't bother Sascha. If this stranger wants to keep his real identity to himself, that wasn't his problem...yet. "So, Padawan Whitestar, can you tell me why the KSF was tracking you today?"

What does bother him is that he has been on the back foot in this conversation the whole time; he has revealed his name and the fact he was a Jedi and he is no closer to figuring out who these people are. He isn't sure how to get ahead in this conversation at the current second either; he's played his biggest cards, to no reaction, what else can he even do?"

As if Alpha could tell what he was thinking, he spoke, "Come now, Padawan. I'm in the superior position here, I know who you are, but you don't know who I am. I know where we are, but you don't. If you give me honesty, I'll give you honesty in return, that is the Jedi way is it not?"

Sascha considered the request briefly, he feels like he's being played by a master dejarik player, but doesn't see any other choice if he wants to get anything from this meeting, "Fair enough. I'm not exactly why the KSF was tracking me today, but I've been working with them closely over the past few days and will continue to do so in the upcoming days."

"And why is that, young Jedi?"

He considered stonewalling the request, but decides that he may as well be honest in this conversation, "My Master and I have been tasked with the protection of Senator Kuat during her time on the planet."

"Senator Kuat?" Alpha said in surprise, "She's being threatened?"

"More than threatened, Alpha, there have been attempts made on her life, one of which I was personally witness to."

"Hmm…does that have anything to do with this great victory Senator Kuat's been bragging about over some pirate named Tu Dronos?"

A bitter taste formed in his mouth, but he shrugs nonchalantly to cover his displeasure. Alpha seemed to take Sascha's non-reply in stride and continued, "Don't worry young Jedi, some of us know that the KSF doesn't just invade pirate's nests far outside of its jurisdiction at random, you had something to do with it, correct?"

Sascha's shrug this time was far less convincing.

"What happened to honesty, young Jedi?"

He bowed his head apologetically, "I'm sorry Alpha, but even a Jedi's honesty has some limits," he replies.

A hint of a smile tugs at the older man's lips, "Very well young Jedi, you have been honest with me, as far as I can tell, so I will be honest with you."

"But you still won't tell me your real name," he interjected.

A wry smile plays on Alpha's features, "I said I would be honest, not stupid Padawan, there is a difference." Alpha stood up from his chair and paced the room slowly, "What you see here is one of the cells of the People for True Democracy on Kuat, or PTDK if you prefer the snazzy acronym. I would like to claim that I can speak for the PTDK but I only represent our little cell, and thus I only speak for them. You may have read about the dissident groups that have been agitating for democratic representation of Kuat; we are one of these groups. Strictly non-violent of course. I've learned that revolutions caused by force rarely end up in the way that they were intended to. For the past year or so the KSF has tried its best to shut us down and other groups like us, that is why our security protocols are…overly cautious shall we say. We will continue to fight the good fight here though, no KSF thugs can stop us from getting the rights that we deserve as Kuatis."

Sascha takes a long moment to absorb Alpha's revelation, "So, Itoma Kuat is one of your biggest allies, I imagine."

"Yes," said Alpha, speaking with obvious reverence, "She comes from the elite but she sees the real issues like the rest of us. Kuat is prosperous, why not share the wealth with those less fortunate? Why not give us the chance to vote on who represents us in the Senate or who governs our cities? The aristocrats are afraid of change and so they lash out at anything that threatens them. I assumed that Itoma Kuat may have been safe from repercussions simply because of her name, but I fear that is no longer the case." The older man paused, "it is good to see that the Jedi are on her side though."

Sascha holds a hand up, "The Jedi are on no one's side, Alpha. I'm simply here to protect the Senator and hopefully to find out who is threatening her and arrest them. The Jedi Order does not interfere in internal politics."

Alpha considered this, looking a bit disheartened, "You know there are people that say that the Jedi are the only force that is propping up the Republic. It seems interesting that the Jedi Code seems to profess to protect the weak, but then they ignore an injustice like the one that is being perpetuated on Kuat."

"The Jedi merely serve the Republic and its citizens," Sascha replied defensively.

"Then why are you here on behalf of a Senator from one of the richest families in the galaxy and not on behalf of people like myself, solid, middle-class citizens that only want a little bit of democracy for their world?"

Sascha didn't have a good response for that question.

Alpha ran a hand through his thinning hair, "It's not really a fair question, I know. If the Jedi get involved in the internal affairs of one planet, then they will be compelled to do so for the next planet and I think you'd run out of Jedi before you fixed all the problems that exist in the Republic." There was a long pause as Sascha and Alpha considered where to move the conversation next.

Finally, Sascha broached a question that had been on his mind since the start of the conversation, "You're ex-KSF aren't you?"

To his surprise, Alpha smiled, "What gave it away, young Jedi?"

"Honestly? Pretty much everything, from the security measures you took, to the military professionalism of some of your members, it seemed to be a logical conclusion. You haven't exactly tried to hide it, as far as I can tell."

"Yes, well many of those that join the PTDK are those that got to see a bit of the wider galaxy than just Kuat and the KSF does give one the opportunity to do so. Many are…unhappy to learn that people on poorer, less developed worlds have more democratic rights than they do, having been born on one of the founding planets of the Republic."

"I understand," Sascha folded his hands together and placed them on the table, "what I'd like to know, more than anything is if any of these dissident groups could possibly be the ones targeting Senator Kuat. I don't need to know names if you are uncomfortable with doing that, I'd just like to narrow down the list of suspects."

Alpha looked uncomfortable for a brief second, "It would certainly not be from the PTDK, however there are some more…extreme groups that we no longer associate with that may not see it the same way that we do. Their goals tend more towards violent revolution. I don't see that as possible or desirable. So yes, it could be a dissident group that is targeting Senator Kuat, but I couldn' tell you which one even if I wanted to."

"Thank you, one last question if I may, though this one is more of a hypothetical – if Senator Kuat was to be assassinated, what do you think the reaction of the public on Kuat will be? She does seem quite popular, and her recent military victory has made her even more so."

"That's a dark future you're asking me to predict" commended Alpha, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm merely trying to understand who has the most to gain from targeting the Senator, you said at the beginning that it must be some of the aristocratic families that see her as a threat. But, if they feel that way, why not try to damage her politically? If she is killed she'll be seen as a martyr and I can't imagine her supporters will take it well."

Alpha pauses for a long time, deep in thought, perhaps considering whether or not he should tell him anything at all. "I can only imagine that the civil unrest will be worse than last time, dissident groups like ours are more organized, but with the KSF continually targeting us, no leader has been able to unite the various dissidents. Senator Kuat is the de facto leader, almost, a symbol, and a beacon of hope, what some of these groups may be motivated to do if she is killed…I shudder to consider."

The older man's thoughts echo what Sascha had been considering for a while now. Certainly, the Ten families seemed like an obvious group that would want Senator Kuat removed from power, but killing her would seem to give her even more power, as a symbol that could crystalize the dissident groups into something more coherent.

Sascha takes a look at his chrono and realizes that he should probably be making his way back to Senator Kuat, he scribbles some numbers on a piece of flimsi and hands it to Alpha. "I should take my leave now, Alpha. If you can think of anything, anything at all, you can contact me on this frequency, either Master Unduli or myself will answer. As I said, our mission is to protect the Senator and it seems to me that our goals are aligned."

"I will, Jedi Whitestar. May the Force be with you."

"May the Force be with you as well."


	32. Making Friends

Seline gave him a ride back to the outskirts of Kuat City in the same speeder that brought him there, fortunately, this time he was spared the stuncuffs and blindfold. While he tried to start up a conversation with Seline, the young woman stonewalled him, so after a few minutes he gave up and lapsed into silence. From the city proper, Sascha simply commed for an air taxi to take him back to the estate.

At the front gate of the estate, he was stopped by the KSF soldiers on guard, who kept him waiting for a few moments before admitting him into the lavishly appointed estate. Once inside, he sought out Luminara, intending to report on his excursion. He found the Miralian in a room with Senator Kuat and Colonel Zarbo. Luminara was hawkishly alert, even as she stands unobtrusively off to the side of the Senator as she works. Colonel Zarbo noticed Sascha before Luminara does and shoots him a baleful glare. Sascha meets the glare with a laconic shrug. He doesn't particularly care about what the Colonel thinks about him and it was nice to take the KSF down a notch today.

Luminara noted the interaction between the two with a steady gaze and directs the Padawan out into the hallway with a mere flick of her head. Once they were outside, Luminara gave him an appraising look, "You took a bit longer than I expected, Sascha. Did you find anything of use in Kuat City?"

"Yes, Master Unduli…" He was about to give her a short summary when Luminara interrupted him.

"Is there anything that I need to know right now?"

He briefly considered the question, "No, Master."

"Then Padawan, you will compose your report on your datapad and send it to the Temple. Then you will brief me after that is done, am I clear?"

"Yes, Master."

Sascha wondered briefly why Luminara wanted to have his report delivered to the Jedi Temple as soon as possible, but he knew better than to second-guess a Jedi with far more field experience than himself. He went to his room and composed his report, distilling out the useless facts but including his main findings. After some deliberation he included a note that he was followed by unknown beings, likely a team of KSF agents, he couldn't tell if that was a useful detail to mention or not, so he figured it was better to include too much information rather than too little. It took him perhaps an hour to edit and compose his report and he sent it off to the Jedi Temple using the special datapad that Surenit Kli'qiy had given him.

Seeking out Luminara again, they returned to the empty hallway and he handed her his report, and stood by as the Miralian read it. "You were followed?"

"Yes, Master."

"You were able to evade your pursuers?"

Sascha almost commented that was what he wrote in the report. Instead he simply nods, "It cost me my cloak though."

"Yes, I was going to ask about that, this new one hardly seems your style, Sascha," Luminara said with a tiny smirk. He rolled his eyes at that remark, and Luminara continues, "That was good work, Padawan, though I do recall that you promised me that you wouldn't take any risks, yet you apparently ended up blindfolded and cuffed in a speeder with two people you hardly knew."

"I…um…didn't feel any particular danger from them, Master Luminara. It seemed like a risk worth taking at the time."

"You put a lot of faith in your ability to sense danger from strangers," said Luminara in an accusing tone.

He visibly floundered, "I…guess I did."

The Miralian seemed to realize that she may have been too harsh, as her body posture softened visibly, "Very well, it paid off for you in this case, but you and I will have to have a talk about the definition of the word 'risk' later." He nodded, subdued, in his mind it was a more than fair criticism. The Miralian continued, "As a reward you can take over the guarding of Senator Kuat for me."

"You and I need to have a talk about the definition of the word 'reward,' Master Luminara," commented Sascha dryly. The Miralian laughed in response, the first time he could remember her laughing since they had left Narvis Rock. The Miralian bowed her head slightly and headed in the direction of her room, no doubt looking to grab some rest.

He settled in for guard duty, remaining unobtrusive as possible in the same room as Senator Kuat. The Senator was always active, either making calls through the Holonet, or working furiously on her datapad. As the hours ticked away, he fought against boredom, trying to maintain his alertness. To occupy his mind, he conjured up various scenarios that would see him called into action to save the Senator. Fortunately, all of his scenarios remained a fantasy.

The worst part of his evening may have been watching the Senator eat a lavishly prepared meal, the nerf steak that the cook prepared looked so scrumptious that Sascha could barely look at it without his stomach rumbling. It was made worse by the fact that his own meal was a ration bar, a flavourless nutrient bar that filled his stomach up and gave him the energy he needed, but in a very, very unsatisfying way. He didn't miss much about the Jedi Temple, but he definitely missed the refectory that he and Master Brynar liked to eat in, where every meal was lovingly prepared.

Late into the evening, the twin moons of Kuat, Bador and Ronay painted the night sky with their ethereal presence, Sascha had to admit that the engineers who had terraformed Kuat had done an amazing job in creating a beautiful world.

"Padawan Whitestar?"

"Yes, Senator? How can I help you?" Sascha moved towards the Senator and Colonel Zarbo, hands folded politely behind his back.

"I heard you took a trip into Kuat City today," the Senator mentioned in an offhanded way, though Colonel Zarbo took the mention of his little excursion much worse, he could feel the anger radiating off of the Kuati man in the Force.

"I did, Senator."

"And who authorized you to do that?" asked Colonel Zarbo caustically.

"I asked my Mom and Dad if I could go out to play and they said yes, Colonel," replied Sascha in a childish singsong designed to infuriate the KSF man.

"You insolent little…Your mission is to protect the Senator isn't it? How can you protect the Senator if you are so far away? If you were under my command I'd show you the meaning of discipline." The Kuati Colonel advanced towards him, fists clenched in a fighting stance, anger clear in his face.

Sascha keeps his hands clasped behind his back and stares up at the Colonel, his face a picture of calm. "Go ahead, Colonel, you can hit me if you want…what does the charge of assaulting an officer of the Republic carry these days?" asked the Padawan rhetorically.

For a split second, Sascha thinks that the KSF man will actually strike him, which in his opinion is a fine result. He is tired of the man's unwavering distrust and open hatred of the Jedi and if he has to take a punch to get rid of him, well…he's willing to bet he's been hit harder than the Colonel can hit him, plus it would give him an excuse to throw him across the room, which would be very therapeutic.

"Colonel Zarbo, this is unseemly. You are dismissed for the night," barked Itoma Kuat, a note of command evident in her voice.

The Kuati Colonel glared at him with nothing less than unrestrained hatred as he exits, slamming the old wooden door behind him as he leaves. Sascha tries and fails to keep a smirk from appearing on his face.

Itoma shakes her head, "You shouldn't taunt the Colonel like that; he's a good man if a bit ruled by his…convictions sometimes. He's rather unhappy that you purposely evaded the agents that he sent to make sure you were not harmed on your trip today."

Sascha files that piece of useful information away to tell Luminara later. "I was unaware that Kuat City was considered a dangerous place for a Jedi, Senator Kuat," he replied. He was mindful that he would have to watch his words around the Senator. She was a politician with years of experience, and he was…well a Padawan on his first mission.

The Senator smiled, as if acknowledging the skillful dodge of the question. Sascha couldn't help but twist the knife just a little, "I would say that Colonel Zarbo is very lucky that none of his agents came to any harm."

"And why would they have come to harm, Padawan Whitestar?" asked the Senator inquisitively.

"Let us see it from my point of view for a second, Senator. We Jedi have been attacked pretty much nonstop since we started this mission, and now I'm walking in a foreign city, alone, being tracked by a number of unidentified agents. They could be KSF agents, certainly, or they could be bounty hunters, I have no way to tell the difference. I would have been well within my rights to simply defeat them, I wouldn't have tried to cause any permanent damage of course, but mistakes happen."

"So why didn't you?"

"Evading them was the less confrontational choice, and I do not like confrontation. Another Jedi may have gone for the more…shall we say proactive approach though."

A glimmer of amusement flickers onto the Senator's face for a second, "Well I'm sure those agents appreciated your reserve in the matter."

Sascha shrugged, "If there is nothing else Senator…"

"Actually there is, Padawan Whitestar. It seems to me that you don't like me very much," states Itoma matter-of-factly.

"Excuse me?" he replied, taken aback slightly by the directness of the Senator's statement.

"We have a saying in Kuati politics, 'If you want to attack a person, attack their associates first.'"

"A saying that has not made its way to the Jedi Temple I'm afraid. I'll admit that Colonel Zarbo rubs me the wrong way, but it has nothing to do with you."

Itoma gave Sascha a paternal, almost condescending look, "Padawan, you may be a Jedi, but as a politician I have been reading body language since before you were born. You don't like me, it is clear, and I would like to know why."

He took some time to compose his response and searches his feelings so that his answer will be an honest one. "It's complicated. On the one hand, you essentially ordered us into leading that assault on Narvis Rock that was very close to being a debacle and almost killed my Master. You took credit for that mission even though you merely stayed on the Kuati Pride and let others do your dirty work for you. You remain dead set on attending the Tevanteer Banquet, when it is the most likely place that someone will target you, putting countless others at risk. On the other hand, you helped resettle that family of Kubaz on Kuat, you are also paying for the costs of repairing my ship and you put Major Valenteen in his place when you could have easily stayed out of it. I guess to summarize, Senator, my feelings towards you are complicated."

"An honest answer, Padawan." A bit too honest, he thought, kicking himself slightly. The Senator gets up from her chair and strolls casually around the room, "Though I don't know why you Jedi see fit to resist me on everything, I'm only doing the best I can for Kuat, using what little power I've managed to scrape up."

"If you didn't want the advice of the Jedi, you shouldn't have asked for the Jedi to protect you," he said flatly.

"A mistake on my part, perhaps, but I've read your Jedi Code, I thought that your goals may have aligned with mine." The Senator shrugs slightly, "Perhaps I missed some of the fine print."

Sascha wondered if he is really going to be discussing the Jedi code twice in one day. "I'm more than happy to clear up any questions you may have about our code, but I am merely a Padawan learner, I may yet not have grasped all of its tenets fully."

The Senator brought her hands together on the desk, "Very well, I am curious how the Jedi stand for the slavery of sentient beings, within the Republic and outside of its borders, given that the Jedi profess to protect the weak. Specifically I wonder how the Jedi allow the slave traders of Ryloth to sell female Twi'lek's into slavery at appallingly young ages."

An odd question to start with, he thought, "I think you'd find that many Jedi find such practices distasteful. Yet, the slave trade on Ryloth has a long cultural history, certainly it predates their world joining the Republic. Jedi protect the weak, but we also respect local cultures."

"It seems that you cannot have it both ways, Padawan, you can either protect the weak, the enslaved, or you can respect local cultures."

He nodded in assent, "I tend to see it that way as well, Senator. Many Jedi find slavery particularly distasteful and dedicate their lives to freeing slaves. Perhaps later, when I become a Jedi Knight I'll join their number."

"You would be given that level of autonomy?" Itoma asks with what appears to be genuine curiosity.

"There are some Jedi, like my Master's Master, Nova Trynith who believe that a Jedi is only responsible to the will of the Force, not the Jedi Council."

"And you feel similar?"

"I don't know. I'm fifteen, Senator Kuat."

The Senator smiled again at the Padawan's blunt honesty, "Thank you Padawan, that will be all for now."

"If I could ask you a question, Senator?" Itoma looked surprised, but nodded. Sascha hesitated for a split second but went ahead with his question, "Why do you think bringing democracy to Kuat will change the way things currently are on the planet?"

The Senator looked at him as if he had grown another head and crossed her arms across her chest in a defiant gesture. "How could it not?"

"It seems unlikely to me, that even if democracy was installed tomorrow, that the Ten families would lose their grip on Kuat. Certainly, they have the money and influence to…shall we say convince any politician the righteousness of their views. Money tends to make its influence felt regardless of the form of government on a planet."

"You seem not to have much faith in democracy or the Kuati People. I find your lack of faith disturbing. You are far too young to be a cynic."

Sascha shook his head sadly, "It's not that I lack faith it's that I have studied enough history during my time at the Jedi Temple to know that democracy, while a great concept, is hardly the cure-all that some people think it is." He adopts a more amused expression, "though I'll admit that as a person who was taken from their parents at the age of two and whose Order is essentially an oligarchy, I may not be in the best position to appreciate democracy."

Itoma Kuat laughed, "I had never thought of it that way before. Maybe you need to start the Jedi Democratic movement." He couldn't help but laugh at that idea it just seemed so ridiculous. The idea that he could have an equal vote to someone like Master Yoda seemed so incongruous that he had a hard time imagining it. "I take it I've answered your question, Padawan Whitestar?"

"Yes, Senator, thank you for your answer," Sascha bowed and withdrew to an inconspicuous distance, and settled back in to guard duty, still trying to decode the enigma that was Senator Itoma Kuat.


	33. Arrivals, Plans

The rest of Sascha's night was uneventful as he guarded Itoma Kuat. Luminara relieved him in the early hours of the morning and he did not need to be ordered to rest, he was desperate for it. His sleep schedule was a mess, he was very much used to the rhythm of the Jedi Temple and getting a good rest every night, now he was grateful for every hour of rest he could find.

When he did wake up hours later, he found that nothing had changed. Perhaps the mission was settling down a bit, which both disappointed and relieved him. The boy that had swung an imaginary lightsaber around in his room when he was six years old was now very relieved to not have swung his lightsaber in many days. Still, he felt a desire to experience more action, more excitement, and more adventure.

He checked his datapad constantly, hoping for another update from the Temple of any description. Though updates were slow in coming, the updates themselves were not very illuminating, prisoner interrogation had revealed little, and the best technicians of the Judicials were having trouble cracking the encryption and other security that surrounded the main computer on Narvis Rock. Interviews of Kuati aristocrats had also revealed very little.

He was beginning to think that they weren't going to find out who was threatening the Senator, and he hoped he wasn't going to be attached to this mission long-term, he did really intend to be around to assist in Master Brynar's recovery. The mission comes first, Padawan, Sascha heard Aurine's voice in his head, and reflexively he said, "Yes, Master," to the empty room. He was quite glad no one was around to hear that slip up.

Luminara and Sascha took turns guarding the Senator during the morning, allowing both Jedi to take some time to meditate. He and Luminara talked little, but frankly there was not much to discuss. He offered to go in to Kuat City again, his last foray into the city being something of a success, but Luminara declined the offer, knowing that they had to plan for how they were going to protect the Senator at tomorrow's Tevanteer banquet.

It was during one of his turns at meditating when he felt a familiar presence, it was faint but growing stronger. It took some concentration on his part but when he figured out who it was, he smiled.

Hi Tyra, he thought and he used his connection with her to send her a greeting of sorts through the Force. He quickly received a reply of emotions back from Tyra, surprise, followed by confidence and sympathy. He broke the mental connection with Tyra soon after, it really wasn't good for anything more than communicating through vague emotions, but he took heart that he might actually get to work with his good friend on a mission. He and Tyra had always been a strong team, they had worked together often in the Temple during their youth. 

Deciding that Luminara might want to know what he had just discovered, he searched for the Miralian and found her in her usual spot, just outside of the Senator's room. After they found a quiet spot where they could talk, he started the conversation off, "Master, I have some news, I believe that Teff Nal'ma and his Padawan Tyra Harker are on Kuat."

Luminara's blue eyes narrowed, "And you discerned this…how Padawan?"

"I have a strong bond in the Force with Padawan Harker. I could feel her coming to the planet, though beyond that I can't say I know too much."

Luminara nodded, "Well , it is always good to know that there are more Jedi here to help out of if need be. Though I can't imagine what possessed the Jedi Council to send Master Nal'ma on this mission…subtlety is not exactly his strong suit."

"You've worked with Master Nal'ma before?" he asked, curious.

"Yes. He has a certain…passion for justice that makes him difficult to work with at times. He is willing to ignore some of the rules of being a Jedi to make sure he gets his way." Sascha didn't need to be told that, Tyra had told him stories of Master Nal'ma bending some rules on missions that had made Tyra uncomfortable. It had long been rumoured that Teff Nal'ma would have been made a Jedi Master if only he would reign in some of his un Jedi-like moments. There was no doubting his skill in the Force though, Sascha had once watched Tyra spar with her Master, and the Twi'lek had made Tyra look like a drunken Bantha, which was not an easy thing to do, to say the least.

The voice of Itoma Kuat intruded on the two Jedi before Luminara could comment further, "Master Jedi, if I'm not interrupting, could we discuss the security preparations for the Tevanteer banquet tomorrow?" 

Luminara grimaced slightly, "I suppose that means that you haven't heeded my advice to skip attending the Tevanteer banquet."

The two Jedi entered Itoma's room to find the Senator sitting behind her large, wooden desk. Itoma spoke patiently but with an edge to her voice, "Master Jedi, I've been clear from the beginning that one of the reasons I came to Kuat is to attend this very banquet. My attendance has been confirmed for months now; I cannot back out at the last moment."

Luminara moved forward gracefully, "I still don't see why you can't appear via hologram, you can still deliver the opening speech to the banquet, but without risking your life or others."

The two women glared at each other, a contest of wills between Luminara's olive-skinned face and bright blue eyes and Itoma Kuat's pale skin and dark brown eyes. The Miralian's gaze broke first, "Very well Senator, Colonel Zarbo and I have come up with the initial plan, subject to your approval."

Sascha blinked at the mention of Colonel Zarbo. He had done his best to avoid the Kuati man since his confrontation with him and had been generally successful. The Colonel wasn't in the room at the moment, to his best understanding, Colonel Zarbo was off at a KSF meeting.

The Miralian began, "The security preparations will start at the front gate. The KSF will be in charge of scanning each of the guests for weapons. This will be done in an area that is just before the entrance to Tevanteer House, so the media and their red carpet event can be accommodated," the Miralian rolled her eyes at that last part. "The media persons themselves will be screened by a separate team of agents. Inside the house itself, there will be KSF agents scattered around undercover, as well as a reaction team on high alert that will be stationed adjacent to the main ballroom. This team will be able to respond to any threats that emerge. These plans are just slight modifications to some of the security procedures that have been done in the past."

"What about you, Master Jedi, where will you be?" asked Itoma Kuat.

"I'll be in command of the KSF, going where I am needed." Luminara looked down at her dress, "My Miralian clothes may not be the most suited for the…richness of the occasion, but adorn them with some trinkets and I may not stand out too much. Sascha is personally tasked with your protection, which brings me to my only question, did you come up with a suitable cover for Sascha to be that close with you at the banquet?"

Itoma nodded amiably, "I did, I believe that he could be concealed as an aide of mine, despite his youth. If he were taller he could have perhaps passed as a Telbun, but we can just claim he's a prodigy from Coruscant gaining some significant work experience. Kuati aristocrats tend not to spend too long looking at aides and other helpers, so he should be fine as long as he is able to show me proper deference during the banquet."

"That won't be a problem, Senator Kuat," he said politely.

"I thought not," said Itoma Kuat smiling fractionally. "We will get you fitted for appropriate clothes today."

Sascha tried but could not repress a small sigh, which amused both Luminara and Itoma Kuat. "Do you have any questions, Senator?" asked Luminara. "The KSF and I will be running through contingencies tomorrow."

"I leave myself in your capable hands, Master Jedi," said Itoma Kuat and she went back to work on her datapad.

Clearly being dismissed, Luminara and Sascha withdrew to the hallway outside. "Do you have any concerns about our plan, Padawan?"

"Only about trying to pass myself off as an aide to a Senator of the Republic at the ripe old age of fifteen," Sascha said lightheartedly.

Luminara's gaze hardened, "This is no time for joking, Sascha. I am giving you the most important role, the protection of the Senator during what is sure to be an interesting evening. Are you confident that you can handle it?"

"Yes, Master Unduli," he replied reflexively. "Do you really think anything will happen tomorrow? Our security preparations will likely be quite strong."

Luminara looked at the ground briefly, "I fear that there will be trouble. Anyone with enough resources to hire a pirate gang as large as Tu Dronos' will certainly not be put off by one attack failing. The problem with tomorrow night is that Itoma Kuat has been scheduled to attend the Tevanteer for months now, and thus anyone who wanted to attack her could have had months of planning behind their attack. Our security preparations only really began when we landed on Kuat. The KSF and I will do our best, but I am not a tactical thinker like Aurine, I really wish…" the Miralian trailed off. "This was to be the part of the mission that she handled, she's wonderful at constructing security plans, I only have a fraction of her talents in this area. To make matters worse, the only person I can truly rely on is you."

"Me?"

"Of course. You are a Jedi, and you might be a young Jedi, but I can rely on you to do your best. The KSF on the other hand…I'm not sure where their loyalty lies. I get a deep sense of unease about tomorrow whenever I look into the Force." Luminara glanced away and shook her head, "My biggest failure is that I can't convince Itoma Kuat to see the danger inherent in attending the Tevanteer banquet."

The Miralian, usually a picture of vigor and confidence, suddenly looked tired and unsure of herself. "You tried your best, Master. I'm not sure there is any way of convincing Senator Kuat to not attend the banquet short of kidnapping her ourselves."

"Something I wish we could do, sometimes," muttered Luminara. "Nevertheless, we will make do what is placed in front of us. We are Jedi. We will see this mission completed even if the person we are protecting continues to put herself in danger." Sascha could tell that Luminara was trying to encourage him as well as herself, but the words seemed to ring hollow. "Talk to the Senator, make sure you have your cover established, it's not a disaster if you are revealed as a Jedi but it hardly seems optimal either. Jedi work best when we emerge only when our assistance is required. Contact me if you need me." And suddenly the Miralian was striding away purposefully, leaving the Padawan to turn to his assigned task.

The Hopeful Ranger, in orbit around Kuat

Tyra Harker could do little but smile as she ended her mental connection with Sascha. Too bad that her smile was instantly noticed by her Master. Teff Nal'ma, a tall, well-built, blue-skinned Twi'lek with piercing blue-green eyes, was laying in the bunk across from her in their shared cabin on the Hopeful Ranger, a small-time cargo ship that they had bought passage on. "You seemed preoccupied there for a moment, Padawan," said the Twi'lek. It was not a question.

"Yes, Master. I've made contact with Padawan Sascha Whitestar on Kuat. He's an old friend from Dragon clan." A more fair way to describe Sascha would be her best friend, but it was not always the best strategy to reveal everything to Master Nal'ma.

The Twi'lek curled one of his long lekku around his neck, "I sensed Master Luminara, but the apprentice was too weak to discern. I suppose this is your friend Sascha?"

"Yes."

"And you are looking forward to looking with him."

"Yes." Tyra had never been a staunch believer in fate, but it seemed like fate that she and Sascha would be working together on his first mission.

The Twi'lek seemed to sense that her thoughts had drifted to that subject, "Our mission is separate from theirs, Padawan. Though we may be on the same planet, we may not even see each other." Teff made eye contact with her, "This is not the Jedi Temple, there is no time for social calls."

"Since when have I ever been distracted by my friends?" she said with an edge to her voice. More than once she had been deployed with her old clanmates. It had never caused a problem. Two years into her apprenticeship, Tyra was beyond the almost constant fear of disappointment and inadequacy that came with being a young Padawan. Now instead of being a pliant, almost fearful apprentice, she was pushing back, ever so slightly against her Master's teachings. It was a good tension though, she'd never learn to be more than a sycophant if she didn't occasionally disagree, politely, with her Master.

"It is sometimes easy to be distracted by boys at your age. Especially boys that you know well."

She groaned loudly, "Master, please, could you not lecture me on things that I've never had a problem with?" Tyra would never deny liking boys, she was pragmatic enough on that account. But Sascha? He had grown nicely into his adolescent frame, she would admit, but Sascha was well…Sascha. It didn't seem possible that he could ever be more than that. Besides, there were so many other fitter, cuter, boys at the Jedi Temple to dream about.

Teff nodded slightly, indicating that he had been slightly out of line, "Perhaps than you can tell me what kind of strengths Padawan Whitestar has, since I have never met him."

Tyra Harker easily listed off some of her friend's biggest strengths, "Sascha is very intelligent if not always innovative. He's very amiable and empathetic, making friends easily. He's also tenacious and tough."

Teff raised his eyebrows slightly, "It sounds like you think highly of him."

"Yes, and he deserves my praise."

"Yet I seem to remember you telling me that it took him a long time to be chosen to be a Padawan."

Tyra felt her hackles rising, "Yes it just goes to show that there are some serious flaws in how we choose apprentices. Sascha should have had multiple Masters begging him to be their student."

"But I don't get the sense that he is strong in the Force," her Master responded, a slight edge to his voice now.

Tyra waved her hand dismissively, "That's not all there is to being a Jedi. Otherwise, we'd just sort students by midichlorian count and choose apprentices in that way. Just because Sascha isn't strong in the Force, it doesn't mean that he is less worthy of being a Padawan."

The Twi'lek's posture eased and he nodded, "I agree with you in general, but remember that your friend is on his first mission and like all new Padawans, he is adapting to life outside of the Temple."

Tyra remembered well how hard the first few months of her apprenticeship had been. Before she became a Padawan she had been sure that she was on the path to becoming a Jedi Master, and that she had been well prepared for life outside of the Temple. She had been wrong. All of the decisions she had to make were suddenly so real, no longer hypotheticals discussed in the safety of the Temple. And when she had gotten hurt, she couldn't simply be transported to the Halls of Healing and rest until she was one hundred percent again. The real world, Tyra Harker had found, was difficult. Sascha was likely finding that too.

As if reading her thoughts, Teff spoke into the silence, "The life of a Jedi is one of constant learning and self-discovery. The Jedi you are now is not likely the Jedi you will be when you are twenty."

Tyra detected a rare hint of wistfulness in her Master's voice, "So you are saying that although I may value Sascha's friendship now, I may not always feel that way?"

Teff allowed himself a rare grin, "Someday, I am truly going to regret choosing a Padawan as perceptive as you." The Twi'lek stretched his legs on his bunk, "There is no rule that says that childhood friends will stay that way. People drift apart, become different. Even Jedi. I myself had friends that I thought would always be by my side become little more than strangers. But I do not regret it. Our path as Jedi is to follow the will of the Force"

"Yes, Master," she said, wanting to get out of this conversation.

She was not going to be so lucky, "Tyra. You have always excelled at most parts of being a Jedi. You're a level-headed thinker. You're a confident, assured warrior, but you remain aloof from your emotions."

"I'm not allowed to let emotions influence my judgment."

"You aren't supposed to forget they exist either," replied Teff, his tone sharp.

This conversation was a familiar one for her, Teff would claim that she was suppressing some sort of emotion and she would claim otherwise. Nothing productive ever came out of this talk. She was a good Padawan and she was dealing with emotions in the way she knew how. It hadn't gone wrong yet. "I'll spend some time meditating on it, Master."

It was a hollow promise, but her Master knew her well enough not to press, "Make sure you are rested, apprentice, I sense we are going to have an eventful time on Kuat."

Tyra Harker closed her eyes remembering being eight years old in the Temple, plotting together with Sascha all the accolades they would win as Jedi, all the lives they would save, all the bad people they would foil.

We are going to do it for real, Sascha. I can feel it.


	34. Adjustments

On the day of the Tevanteer banquet Luminara left early in the morning with Colonel Zarbo to oversee the security preparations, but before she left, she pulled him aside to give him some final instructions. "The Senator's protection is first and foremost, do not take any action that would risk her safety, am I clear?"

Luminara's blue eyes almost seemed to blaze into his, and he was slightly taken aback at how intense she seemed. Dutifully, he replied, "Yes, Master Luminara. I'll do my best."

The Miralian seemed to realize how odd she was acting and settled on a display of affection, tapping his shoulder lightly, "I know you will, Sascha. Trust in the Force. Trust in your training." The Miralian glanced at her chrono, "It's time for me to leave. May the Force be with you, Sascha."

"May the Force be with you Master Luminara," he replied quickly, but by the time he had finished his sentence, she was around the corner. Sascha blinked a few times, trying to process that odd conversation. The fact that Luminara had seen fit to remind him of his role again had unnerved him, it seemed unlike her to belabour a point like that, and it was hardly as if he was going to forget his primary objective for the day. He threw his arms into the air and shook his head, deciding he didn't want to waste any time figuring out Luminara. She was on his side, after all.

He spent the morning and afternoon around the Senator, who had a rosy disposition about the upcoming banquet. He was…not looking forward to the banquet. Not only was he more than a little worried about protecting the Senator from the numerous scenarios he had concocted in his mind, he was worried about looking out of place. Attending fancy banquets was a bit out of his very limited range of experience.

Sascha took a moment and observed the Senator as she conversed with the host of aides that were currently helping her organize herself for tonight's Tevanteer Banquet. Itoma laughed at a joke told by one of the young aides, smiling magnanimously. He shook his head. Senator Kuat continued to be an enigma to him, but then again, everything about this mission had become an enigma. At least he had a task at hand for him to focus on, otherwise he may have driven himself mad trying to disentangle all of the events that had occurred on this mission.

In the early afternoon, Sascha left the Senator for an event he was not looking forward to. He went to his room and checked his closet and sure enough, waiting for him was the clothes that he had been measured for yesterday. When he took them out of his closet and laid them on the bed, after one glance he wanted to go and find Senator Kuat and explain in excruciating detail why he would not wear these clothes.

Then he sighed, knowing full well that Senator Kuat would no doubt explain to him that these clothes were necessary for him to fit in at the banquet. Still, as he looked at them, he could only visualize how ridiculous he was going to look. He'd expected that clothes for an aide would be dull, unremarkable, as to not draw attention to him. These were hardly the definition of dull, his shirt was a black, purple and blue monstrosity that was cut in a tight military fashion. It might have been okay, if it didn't have an abundance of gold piping that he found garish. The pants were better, slightly, they were black in colour with only small amounts of colouring, but he found them to be too tight – he could hardly stretch himself to his fullest without feeling that he was going to rip the pants in half. Perhaps the worst part was the dress shoes, which were uncomfortable, and didn't give him any of the traction that his well-worn boots gave him. The only good thing that could be said for the outfit was that he had an easy place to conceal his lightsaber, in the large pockets of his pants.

When he returned to his post in the Senator's room, now fully dressed, the Senator looked up from her work for a second and smiled, "Now you look like a proper Kuati gentleman, Sascha." The Senator noticed his obvious discomfort, and commented, "You forgot the jewellery though."

Sascha could feel his eyes bulging, ostentatious trinkets would be the icing on this very ugly cake, "Jewellery?" he heard himself say.

Itoma laughed, "I'm sorry Sascha, it was a cruel joke for me to play, but the look you gave me was worth it." The Senator's datapad buzzed, "Ah, I think your companion for the evening is here, why don't you go and greet her."

"Of course, Senator," he said, bowing politely.

One of the late modifications to the security plan was that for Sascha's role as an aide to be more convincing, it seemed better that someone of Itoma's status to have not only one aide, but two. A hasty search had found a worthy companion for him in Ralla Darst, a twenty-two year old recent graduate of one of Kuat's top Universities.

Sascha found their new arrival sitting in the foyer, hands folded neatly in front of her. Having read the profile of one Ralla Darst, the impression he had gotten from her resume was completely different from her physical appearance. Ralla was an elegant young woman with shoulder length black hair, and an easy smile. Yet, for as much as he could break down her various physical attributes, Sascha could only come to only one conclusion, she was jaw-droppingly beautiful. And tall. Ralla in her designer heels towered over him by almost a foot. We're going to be a great pairing, he thought to himself, the statuesque Kuati model and the short Jedi Padawan, what could go wrong?

Getting the Kuati's attention, Sascha spoke to the new arrival, "Ralla Darst? I'm Sascha Whitestar, Senator Kuat's aide, if you'll follow me, I'll introduce you to the Senator."

Ralla gave him an evaluating look, "You're her aide?" she asked incredulously. "No offense, but you look like you're twelve years old."

Sascha smiled, "I like to think that I look at least thirteen."

Ralla laughed and tossed her hair, which made Sascha's heart skip a beat. The young woman strode over to him and offered her hand to him, which he accepted. Ralla's handshake was firm, and confident, and her smile was…well…dazzling. Purging some impure thoughts that had suddenly jumped into his mind, he indicated that Ralla should follow him further into the house.

"I shouldn't have started off with that crack about your age, I think," said Ralla, "I was never good at first impressions. Sorry if I caused you any offense."

Sascha made a dismissive gesture, "Don't worry about it, I hear jokes about my perceived age all the time."

"Well it's better to look young than look old, I guess!" said Ralla enthusiastically.

Sascha repressed the urge to give Ralla an odd look and decided to move the conversation in a different direction, "How did you come to the attention of Senator Kuat?"

Ralla shrugged, "Well her cousin is married to my cousin, so we are almost like family."

"I…see."

"Can I ask you about the Senator? What is she like?" asked Ralla.

"She's…different. She's very driven and she has strong views on a lot of issues. She's reasonably friendly though."

"Any advice for me?"

Sascha shrugged, "Be yourself, the Senator is not like most politicians…"

Ralla bounced on her feet enthusiastically, "I know isn't she great, she's a hero of mine, I started studying politics in school because of her."

"Try not to go overboard with the hero worship act," he replied dryly. Ralla flashed a knowing smile and Sascha found himself blushing despite himself. While the Jedi Temple wasn't exactly devoid of physically attractive women, Ralla was a 'real' girl, not an emotionally reserved Jedi, but someone who clearly loved her life. And something about that made Ralla very attractive to him.

Sascha introduced Ralla to Itoma Kuat and to her credit, Ralla showed a deft professionalism, acting as if she had been meeting famous persons her entire life. He then directed her to a nearby room where she could store her things for the evening, and then returned to Senator Kuat.

As he re-entered the magnificently appointed room, Itoma Kuat smiled at him, "How do you like your fellow aide?" she asked.

"She certainly has a striking look to her," Sascha admitted.

"That's what makes her perfect for this role," commented Itoma.

Sascha frowned in confusion, "I'm afraid I don't understand, Senator."

Itoma stood from her chair and walked towards one of the windows, staring outside at the setting sun, "Oh she's capable enough, her marks in school prove that, but for this task she is uniquely qualified. Tell me Sascha, if the two are you are standing behind me, which of you two will people pay more attention to, you or her?"

"Her, I imagine."

The Senator nodded enthusiastically, "Exactly. Another piece of subtle cover for you tonight, people will barely notice you, and that will prevent people from asking why I have what appears to be a youngling acting as my aide.

Sascha bowed respectfully, "Very clever Senator Kuat, an excellent addition to the plan."

Itoma smiled, "That's what I thought. But, in lieu of your Master not being here I will be the adult in the room and say that you should be focused on me and not her. So you can gawk at Ralla for now, but I would hope you'll remain professional tonight."

"I wasn't aware I was gawking," he said defensively.

Itoma continued to grin at him, "The thing is you are such an obviously sweet boy, that few will comment on it. However, being a Senator, I feel it is in my duty to the Republic to inform you that you were."

"I'll…try to correct my behaviour," he said stiffly.

"Good, now get back in character, don't have my hard work and your cover blown by our new companion. It would be such a waste."

Sascha and Ralla were paired together for most of the afternoon, which became something of a trying experience. By nature he was a quiet person who preferred to stay in the background, Ralla was very much the opposite, she wanted to have a conversation going at all times and it was stretching his patience and his ability to maintain his cover to keep conversing. Sascha improvised as best he could, but he often found that his answers became curt and dismissive, simply because he had nothing more to say. It was not in his nature to be impolite, but neither was it in his nature to hold a conversation for hours at a time. He had patience, but it most certainly had limits.

He was spared somewhat when a team of hairdressers came by to prepare the hairstyles of the Senator and her two 'aides.' At least during the time when they were getting their hair done, Itoma and Ralla struck up a conversation, which left him a period of time where he didn't have to involve himself in the banter. He embraced the relative silence with gusto.

Sascha's hairdresser, an older woman probably in her early seventies, complained about the condition of his hair and commented how his appearance was 'hopeless.' He didn't necessarily agree, but wasn't going to say that to her.

"So I'm going to start by cutting off this awful braid…"

Sascha reacted involuntarily at the thought of his Padawan braid being cut, he reached out and put a gentle hand on her arm and said, "I'd very much prefer that it stay, ma'am."

He heard his hairdresser mutter something about, "kids these days," but she acquiesced to his request. There wasn't much hair to style, and he had assumed that his hairstyling session would all be over rather quickly. While Padawans were supposed to keep their hair short as a sign of respect and modesty, his hair was slightly longer than it perhaps should have been. He had always thought that he looked better with his hair at an average length and his Master had never rebuked him for this minor rebellion. Yet, the hairdresser worked on the Padawan's hair for more than forty minutes, which seemed impossible to the young Jedi.

After that seemingly impossibly long time, the hairdresser finally pronounced her work accomplished and showed Sascha her handiwork in the mirror. The face staring back at him was his, but his new haircut made him somehow look older, more refined, no longer a boy playing at a man's game but a young man who had finally come into his own. Sascha thanked the hairdresser, and left the room, leaving the Senator and Ralla to their conversation and finally, blessedly, giving him a minute of silence.

As Sascha leaned against the door, relishing the quiet, he noticed a KSF guard smiling at him. "I think you may understand why I joined the KSF now, young one."

"And why is that?" asked Sascha.

"I have a wife and two daughters, I get more peace and quiet here in the army than I do at home."

"Yeah, well, remind me to never get married then," he replied sardonically. As a Jedi, marriage was hardly in the cards for him…

The guard laughed, "That's what I tell everyone your age, they never do seem to listen to me though."

"Well, pray for me, I have to go back in there." The guard laughed again and gave him a knowing smile. Sascha shook his head and went back inside, not having gotten the peace and quiet he had intended on getting. He was beginning to think such things didn't exist in this mission.


	35. The Night of the Tevanteer

Sascha Whitestar tapped his foot impatiently, waiting outside the front door of the estate house. He was awaiting Ralla Darst and Senator Kuat finally to emerge with their dresses and make-up prepared. Sascha wondered if the two women realized that they had a timeline that had been painstakingly pre-prepared for them, a timeline that they were now in danger of falling behind. He had heard of being fashionably late (as confusing a concept as that was), but could you be fashionably late when you were the guest of honor? He honestly didn't know.

Finally, after long minutes of waiting, Senator Itoma Kuat, and Ralla Darst emerged into the dying light of the evening. Itoma had been outfitted in a classic floor-length gown that left only a small part of her shoulders bare. The material of the dress was of a dark purple colour, but as the Senator moved and the fading light caught it, the material seemed to turn to a deep, pleasant maroon. Itoma's black hair was cropped into a bun and she wore a pair of magnificent, and Sascha assumed expensive, emerald earrings that completed the outfit.

Ralla was…stunning. He thought his teenaged heart might have skipped a beat when he laid eyes on her. Her tight black dress went to just above her knees, though the fine black material went all the way to her throat, so it was at least modest in that way. The dress didn't look like it offered too much mobility, but mobility wasn't exactly a necessity for tonight. Complementing her look was a gold pendant necklace that looked like it may have been worth an entire luxury starliner. Far from looking like an aide to Senator Kuat, Ralla Darst looked like she was the belle of the ball.

Snapping out of it, and realizing that his mouth was slightly agog, he blushed, but said nothing to the two women. Covering his embarrassment, he led the two women to the waiting speeder that would take them to Tevanteer House and the Tevanteer banquet. First up on the docket was the red carpet event for the media, which Sascha was sure was going to be an enthralling hour or two where he sat in the background, and tried to protect the Senator without coming off as overprotective. Such were the joys he was having on this mission.

As he approached the luxury speeder that was to take them to the Tevanteer banquet, he saw that there was a KSF agent obviously dressed up to be the driver. Sascha went over to the man and calmly explained that he would be driving. Though the KSF man protested his decision, he simply walked past the man, opened the door and sat in the driver's seat. Conflict resolution worthy of the Jedi tradition, Sascha thought to himself dryly.

He lifted the speeder off the ground without a hitch and disengaged the autopilot. The autopilot needed to go for two reasons, one was the obvious, that it could have been programmed to lead the speeder into an ambush, and the other was that he would have less fun driving the speeder if it was on autopilot. He had decided beforehand that he was going to extract the maximum amount of pleasure he could from this mission and that meant seizing any opportunity to pilot a vehicle. He would gain little enjoyment from this piloting session however, as Itoma's luxury speeder was designed more for comfort and luxury, not speed, so he found himself bored by the pedestrian capabilities of the vehicle.

Sascha piloted the speeder his destination, he reached the main security checkpoint and waved his credentials at the guard, who let the speeder into the compound itself. Through the windshield, he could now see his destination, Tevanteer House. He had thought that the estate that Itoma Kuat had been staying in the past few days had been large, by comparison, Tevanteer House made it almost seem like a small cottage.

Tevanteer House was lit in spectacular fashion, accentuating the white marble façade. The lavish red carpet leading up to it was already populated by famous Kuatis, and aristocrats, which was of course being broadcast by media outlets across Kuat so that the viewers back home could feel the spectacle. It almost made Sascha sick to see all the wealth on display, but he purged that thought as he exited the vehicle and held the door open for Itoma Kuat like the good aide he was dressed as.

When Senator Kuat emerged, she was immediately swarmed by journalists and other media types shouting questions at her and flat out begging for interviews. Itoma got out of the speeder, smiling and waving genially, as if she was the star of a holomovie. No wonder she had been so dead set on attending the Tevanteer Banquet, he thought.

The problem he was currently facing was that with all the media people surrounding the Senator, if any of them somehow had managed to smuggle a weapon through security, he very likely wasn't going to have a chance to react in time to defend her. Unfortunately as an 'aide' he couldn't simply just tell the Senator to move to a better location for him to protect her, without blowing his cover massively.

"Um, Sascha, a little help?" came a voice from behind him.

Belatedly, Sascha realized that he had left Ralla behind in the speeder and that the young Kuati was having difficulty extracting herself from the vehicle. He turned around and politely extended a hand to the young Kuati. Smiling gratefully, Ralla used the proffered hand to pull herself out of the speeder. "Thanks, these heels and this dress don't exactly promote mobility," Ralla then looked at the glamour of the scene that surrounded her, and now she was a part of, "Wow, it's so amazing here! Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"I haven't, but there is no time for gawking right now," he said reproachfully.

Ralla stared at the festivities for another second and then snapped back to a professional mien, "Right, I'm on it." Quietly and surprisingly surreptitiously for someone dressed like Ralla, she moved to Itoma's side, datapad in hand. Ralla's role for the night was to help Itoma Kuat take notes and remember whom she had spoken to, a traditional role for a minor aide.

With Itoma and Ralla in front of him being surrounded by a crowd of media beings, he was doing his best to stay close to the Senator without attracting any undue attention. Ralla, being distracted by her work as well as the media and the other famous Kuatis being mere metres from her, was mercifully quiet for the moment. This allowed him to focus all his attention on the safety of Itoma Kuat.

As Itoma made her way to the red carpet, the media beings kept themselves a polite distance from Itoma, but the sheer number of media beings that desperately wanted to talk to Itoma meant that beings were being jostled, and they were creeping ever closer to Itoma, which worried him. Also not helping matters were the blinding lights from the cameras that the videographers were carrying, which meant that he couldn't see past them into the large crowd that surrounded Itoma. It was, quite frankly, a security nightmare.

Yet, perhaps the Senator was too popular, or perhaps KSF security was doing its job in making sure no one smuggled in any weapons, because Senator Kuat was gradually able to make her way down the red carpet, greeting old friends and conducting interviews all the while.

"You seem stressed out," said Ralla as she drifted over to his side during a quieter moment.

"You seem pre-naturally calm for someone on the first day of their job," Sascha countered, a bit harsher than he intended. He shook his head, "Sorry, this whole thing stresses me out. I just hate all of it, the pomp, and circumstance, it is all so unnecessary."

Ralla stared at him as if he was a particularly disappointing student, "I know you are from Coruscant, but the Tevanteer Banquet is one of Kuat's oldest traditions. It kicks off a week of celebration across the planet; it's common for families across social strata to gather together and watch the banquet, it is one of the rare times that everyone can come together and celebrate without thinking of class boundaries."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," he said honestly. He of course knew about the historical significance of the Tevanteer banquet, there had been plenty of material in his research that had noted that. Yet he had somehow missed its social significance. Another weakness of trying to figure out a planet by reading about it rather than experiencing it, he thought.

Ralla walked slowly back towards the Senator, and he followed, "So what's your favourite part of Coruscant? I'd love to go there one day, hopefully Senator Kuat will take me back with her when she returns to the Senate."

"Oh the Jedi Temple is my favourite place on Coruscant," he replied absentmindedly, eying a shady looking Rodian that was carrying a holorecorder that potentially could have concealed some sort of weapon. Suddenly he realized that he had just made a massive blunder. What normal citizen of Coruscant would say that his favourite place was the Jedi Temple, a place that only few non-Jedi had ever seen the inside of? He opened his mouth to try to correct his mistake, but he was unable to form the words, any words to correct his blunder.

"The Jedi Temple, isn't that where the Jedi take the children that they have kidnapped?" replied Ralla.

Was that a joke? Sascha wondered. If it was, it certainly was not a funny one. Undoubtedly, the idea that Jedi kidnapped their Initiates had been around for thousands of years. It was of course, patently untrue. On most Republic worlds, blood tests were performed at birth to record the amount of midi-chlorians in an infant's cells, so that parents were informed well in advance that their child would be selected by the Jedi. Some parents were more accepting than others, but legally, the Jedi Order had the right to take any Force-sensitive children within the Republic that were identified. Nonetheless, the rumor that Jedi kidnapped children had still survived, clearly.

"I don't know, I've never been inside," Sascha lied, "I just think it's a beautiful building."

Ralla made a dismissive wave, "Whatever, the Jedi are overrated anyway. I'm sure their 'powers' are just myths at this point. I mean, the whole idea of 'The Force' is just so illogical. I highly doubt that there is some 'Force' that only several thousand beings can sense out of a galactic population of hundreds of trillions. I mean how stupid could people be? Jedi are just well trained soldiers with laser swords, the Jedi Order just has the best propaganda campaign in the galaxy at this point," said Ralla Darst confidently.

"I don't know about that, all I know is the Temple itself is beautiful from the outside," Sascha hissed with essentially the last of his composure, not appreciating the slights against the Jedi Order. In front of him, Senator Kuat was smiling and Sascha could tell it wasn't from the interview she was currently giving. Sascha brought a hand to his suddenly pounding temple, wondering where Senator Kuat found Ralla, and if she had known of her…interesting views about the Jedi Order.

Mercifully, the conversation moved away from the Jedi, to restaurants and other places to see on Coruscant. Sascha, considering he had spent the vast majority of his life on Coruscant, hadn't actually seen a lot of the planet, but he knew enough about the planet to talk in vague platitudes about the various topics Ralla was interested in. Slowly, Senator Kuat was making her way towards the entrance of Tevanteer House, but the seemingly never ending stream of media personnel kept her from advancing too quickly. What did impress Sascha was that despite the reporters asking variations of essentially the same question over and over again, Itoma Kuat gave a reasoned, thoughtful, response to each question.

Finally, after more than an hour of interviews and other media obligations, Itoma Kuat entered the main ballroom of the Tevanteer estate. Sascha immediately noticed Luminara standing alone off to the side. The Miralian gave him a miniscule shake of her head, and he knew exactly what she was indicating, the two Jedi seemed grossly out of place in this opulent setting. However, Sascha had to admit seeing Luminara wearing some rather flamboyant jewellery attached to her traditional Miralian robes was a fairly amusing sight. He was sure that Aurine would have concurred, had she been here.

Itoma Kuat swept around the room, shaking hands with a collection of celebrities and aristocrats. Sascha recognized many of them from his research, and was surprised to see the varying reactions the Senator received. Some greeted her warmly, others greeted her perfunctorily and then made an excuse to move on at their earliest convenience. Certainly it was a clear difference from the near hero-worship that she had received with the media. Sascha continued to scan the crowd with the Force, there was something…off about the crowd, but he could not make it more specific than just a vague sense of disquiet in the Force.

While the crowd still milled about, soon it would be time for Senator Kuat to give the opening address at the banquet, which would kick off the festivities for the evening, officially speaking. Sascha assumed that if any attempt was going to be made on the Senator, it would probably be then. Accordingly, most of the security provisions had gone into protecting the Senator during that moment. The raised podium that Itoma would stand behind when delivering the speech had a small shield built into it that would appear invisible, unless it was struck by a blaster bolt or similar weapon. Sascha just hoped it would be enough protection.

As the Senator walked the steps to the raised platform, Sascha and Ralla followed at a discreet distance. He put just enough space between himself and the Senator so that he could move her out of harms way quickly, but without being seen as clinging to closely to her. He let his eyes rake over the crowd as if he was a predator, searching for any sort of clue if there was to be an attack or where it may come from. Nothing jumped out at him, it was just a crowd of mostly humans in their finest clothes. Still, the sense of disquiet in the Force remained.

Senator Kuat got to the platform without problems and after waiting for quiet from the guests, she began her speech, "Gentlebeings from across Kuat, thank you for joining me on this fine night to mark one of Kuat's oldest traditions, the Tevanteer banquet. As you know the Tevanteer celebrates…"

Sascha tuned out the speech. While he was pretty sure that Itoma Kuat was a reasonably good public speaker, his current priority was allowing the Senator to make many more speeches after this particular one.

Nonetheless, some parts of the speech caught his attention, "I look forward to ushering in a new era of our history, one where Kuat takes the lead in matters outside of its own sector. Many have asked me why I commanded the KSF to go after the notorious pirate Tu Dronos. Simply put he was a menace to the good people of the Republic and we had the resources in place to stop him, so as Kuati's we took the lead and rid the galaxy of one of its most heinous villains." Sascha almost rolled his eyes at that comment, what a total revision of history that was.

The Senator spoke for almost twenty minutes, which Sascha could tell bored some of the guests tremendously, however he was more interested in finding the people who wished to make a dramatic ending to the speech.

Finally, Itoma Kuat completed her speech, receiving a healthy amount of applause from the audience. As the applause started to dim, Itoma waved to the crowd one last time and moved away from the protected platform and back down the stairs towards the main floor of the banquet. When the Senator was a few steps down the stairs, Sascha heard a shout of "For Kuat!" in the crowd and in that split second he could see with clarity a man in the crowd withdraw a blaster from his clothes and aim it at the Senator.

"DOWN!" He shouted and dove at the Senator, tackling her heavily to the ground against the steps. The Senator groaned loudly in pain and confusion as blaster fire rang above him. Judging by the heat he felt from above him, he was very close to being hit. He struggled for a second to withdraw his lightsaber from its unusual place in his pants pocket, rather than his belt. Finally grasping it, he ignited it, stood and immediately had to parry a pair of bolts aimed in his direction with his teal blade.

It had only been a few seconds since the initial shots were fired, but already Tevanteer House was a scene of chaos. Aristocrats were rushing for the few exits, while KSF agents were pushing against them, trying to quell the assailants. Sascha saw Luminara out of the corner of his eye, her green lightsaber held high, subdue one of the attackers with a vicious side kick that looked like it may have stopped a charging Rancor. The man folded over in an almost comic fashion and stayed down. Luminara then looked to find another assailant, but the crush of bodies was preventing her from moving through the crowd.

The chaos of the scene was a distraction that Sascha was not used to dealing with. The sense of fear and panic from so many beings was so strong that it threatened to overwhelm his senses, or at very least distract him. He saw servants and aides of Kuati aristocrats literally throw their bodies in front of incoming fire to protect their employers. Sascha longed for the chance to leap down and subdue some of these…dissidents? Terrorists? But he had been told, repeatedly, that he was to protect the Senator, so that what he was going to do. It didn't make it any easier to just watch the chaos unfold though.

As the amount of blaster fire coming his way slackened slightly, he grabbed Itoma Kuat, and dragged her to her feet using his one free hand. Itoma Kuat, Senator, a woman who had survived a couple of assassination attempts without seemingly being affected, appeared to have finally reached her mental limit. As Sascha brought her to her feet, she almost collapsed into him, though Itoma was unhurt, she seemed unable to stand under her own power, likely in shock. Great, Sascha thought to himself, he wasn't sure if he could drag the Senator around and deflect blaster fire at the same time.

"I've got her," said Ralla Darst from behind him.

"Stay behind me," Sascha said without turning, deflecting another laser bolt and sending it high into the roof of the building, narrowly avoiding one of the expensive looking chandeliers. Truth be told he'd forgotten about the young, statuesque Kuati, but was beyond grateful for her help as Ralla slung one of Itoma Kuat's arms around her shoulder and started to make her way slowly down the remaining stairs. He was now fully able to turn his attention to the situation at hand, confidently deflecting the incoming fire, taking the time to ensure that he was deflecting the bolts harmlessly away.

"Grenade!" came a cry from the crowd, somehow piercing through the panicked din.

Sascha's heart pounded in his chest, any sort of explosive device going off in such a crowded area would be nothing short of a disaster. He opened himself as widely as he could to the Force trying desperately to find a small object in the middle of a panicked crowd.

Seconds ticked by but he could not find it. At the last second he found the grenade but before he could pull it from the crowd with the Force, he felt someone jump on top of it and almost at that exact moment, the grenade went off, impact muffled by the brave soul who sacrificed himself to dull the explosion. Sascha cried out wordlessly, Force bless you brave sir, whoever you were.

He clawed his attention back to his current predicament, he had almost stewarded Ralla and the Senator down the stairs, where they could make their way to the back, and to the KSF command post that had been set up for the event.

By coincidence or by planning by the attackers, Sascha was facing down a young man wielding a blaster, trying to point it at Sentor Kuat. He positioned himself in front of Ralla and Itoma and called out, "You don't need to do this," to the young man.

He may as well have been talking to a wall, for all the reaction that his words elicited from attacker. The attacker fired four shots in quick succession, forcing him to whirl his blade around rapidly. He didn't have his usual luxury of not having to worry where the deflected bolts would end up, he needed to deflect the bolts into the walls or the ground and it was proving difficult to do so. The last bolt he managed to deflect downward, but at an awkward angle, it actually impacted on the stairs behind him, causing Ralla to slip as she carried the Senator down. Selflessly Ralla used her body to break the Senator's fall, but came off the worse for wear.

Sascha continued to stare down the young man, aware that he could not move to attack, lest he leave the Senator undefended. "Set down your weapon and you won't be hurt," he said to the Kuati, looking for a diplomatic solution to his problem.

The cold blue eyes of the young man registered no response to his plea and he fired again, this time taking the time to aim his shots more carefully. Sascha brought his hands in towards his body and angled the blade downward, deflecting the bolt back at his assailant, catching him in the leg and sending him spinning to the ground, moaning in pain. That was a bit lucky, Sascha thought to himself, but he was going to take any stroke of luck he could get.

With an opening to get the Senator to safety, Sascha turned to pick up Senator Kuat. He was pained by the idea of leaving Ralla, but the young Kuati girl was clutching at her ankle in distress and was in no shape to follow him. He cursed loudly, and then he decided that he was not going to leave her behind, even though it was not strictly following his mission.

While holding the scruff of Itoma Kuat's dress, he used the Force to levitate Ralla high enough so that she could wrap her arms around his neck and chest. "Grab a hold and hang on tight," he told Rallla. The Kuati woman complied, and he felt her grab two handfuls of his shirt. Then grunting with exertion, Sascha carried the two women into the secure corridor, thankful that for the moment there appeared to be no more people waiting to kill him or his charges.

For now at least.


	36. In the Aftermath

Legs burning from the burden of carrying two women on his back, Sascha entered the first empty room he found, and gently put Ralla and Itoma down, before sitting for a second on the cold ground, trying to collect himself. He shook out his legs for a quick second, trying to get some of the tightness in them to dissipate. It helped. A little.

Sascha didn't really have a clue what to do now. He had no way of contacting Luminara, and no way of knowing what was going on outside the door. He knew that there was supposedly a KSF command center in this area, but Itoma didn't really look like she was capable of traveling even a short distance.

Still, at least Itoma had people around her – there had been a few Kuati aristocrats who had either been brave or smart enough to follow him through the chaos of the Tevanteer banquet. Those aristocrats were at least taking care of Itoma for the moment. Thus Sascha turned his attention to Ralla.

Ralla was clearly trying to process the events of the past few moments, her face was blank, and she stared pointlessly at her injured leg. Sascha moved to her side, touching her softly on the arm, just to get her attention. Ralla's eyes quickly darted to his, "Can I look at your leg?" he asked.

The young Kuati women nodded and he went into examination mode. He cautiously ripped her dress so that he could get a full view of her injury. "Such a shame," commented Ralla in a dull tone, "Senator Kuat was going to let me keep that dress."

"Sorry."

Ralla waved a hand flippantly, "It's just a dress." She was silent a moment before she spoke again, "I can't believe you rescued me, even after I said all those terrible things about the Jedi. I mean, I didn't know you were a Jedi, but you saved me!" She exhaled loudly, "I should have known you weren't some Coruscanti wunderkid, you don't even have a Coruscanti accent" she remarked to herself ruefully.

He bowed his head slightly, "You helped me when I needed you, and I wasn't going to forget that." His hands probed her leg cautiously, "Can you lay still for me, I can't quite tell how bad the injury is if you keep moving around."

"Yes, of course," the young woman said, and she complied, lying flat on her back. "Ugh, those stupid kriffing heels made me fall. I should never have worn them, sometimes I'm just a dumb, stupid…" Ralla continued with a string of profanity that made him blush slightly, as he checked her leg. The leg was broken, but the break itself was not too bad. Judging by Ralla's current state, she didn't seem to be in too much pain. He spent a quick moment searching in the Force for any injuries he could not see before turning his attention to how he was going to make a splint for her. He searched the room, it was obviously an office of some sort, but he needed something wooden or metallic that he could carve into the correct shape…

Then he felt a familiar presence approach and heard someone banging on the locked door. The voice of Tyra Harker wafted through the door, "Open up, Sascha, I know you are in there."

"Tyra!?" Sascha exclaimed in complete surprise. He opened the door and sure enough, his friend was on the other side, looking stern and intense as usual. This was no time for a friendly reunion though, and Tyra was clearly intent on it not being one, "Master Nal'ma sent me to see if you needed assistance," she said.

Sascha took stock of his situation for the moment, figuring how best to use Tyra, "Take the tall one, she's got a broken leg, make sure she gets medical attention. Then find out where the kriff I'm supposed to be, and where the Senator needs to go. I'll stay here with Itoma for the moment and protect her."

Tyra nodded, her intense demeanor softening for a slight second to give him a reassuring smile, then she was quickly on her way, helping Ralla to her feet and helping the Kuati limp along beside her.

One crisis out of the way, Sascha looked over at Itoma Kuat. There was still a phalanx of aristocrats around the Senator, but Itoma still looked like she was in shock. The Senator was pale and looked unsteady, even sitting down on the floor of the room. Her hair, previously immaculate, had fallen into disrepair and her make-up that had been so cleverly and intricately prepared mere hours ago had been smeared in such a way that it made Itoma look ghoulish. As Sascha went over and knelt beside her, Itoma was muttering something to herself, her unfocused eyes staring past all the people in the room.

When she seemed to notice him, she spoke louder, "I killed all those people." The other Kuatis around the Senator tried to placate her, to no effect. Tearfully, she continued, "I ignored the warnings that I was given, yet I stupidly went ahead with it just to placate my own ego! I should resign from the Senate immediately; I'm a disgrace to Kuat! To the name Kuat!" She buried her head in her hands, her chest heaving with sobs.

Sascha was at a loss for words. Years of training in the Jedi Temple, and he had exactly zero classes or instruction on how to deal with a Senator from a powerful family having a mental breakdown after repeated assassination attempts. The worst part was that he didn't necessarily disagree with anything that she had said. Itoma had been warned repeatedly by Luminara about the risks of appearing at the Tevanteer Banquet, and now she was reaping the whirlwind that she had sown. However, he didn't think reminding her of that would help the situation.

He racked his mind for what he should do. Jedi were supposed to practice honesty, and while they were allowed to bend the truth should the situation dictate, they were not supposed to outright lie. So if bending the truth was going to be unhelpful, and he wasn't really allowed to lie…he needed a different way to approach this situation.

"Senator…" as Sascha began, the Senator's brown eyes suddenly focused on his, they were unnervingly dull and lifeless, so much unlike the person he had known for the past few days.

"And I suppose you are happy, Jedi?" said Itoma bitterly. "I've proved you right, haven't I? You never liked me, and now you had to save me from myself. Are you going to hold that over me now?"

"That's not the Jedi way, Senator and you know it," he said. Itoma Kuat once again stared off distantly, but he continued, "Jedi do not dwell on the past, but focus on the future. I suggest you do the same. What happened tonight was a tragedy, but let us leave the assignment of blame to the historians and the media. What Kuat needs now is their Senator, the strong presence that has galvanized the support of many across the planet. They need you now tonight more than ever before. So are you going to sit there and mope, and let your people down again? Or are you going to be the force for good that I know you can be?"

"Good speech, young one," Itoma shook her head sadly, "Except that you forget I already let each and every one of them down tonight."

"So? That's your excuse to let them down again?"

"People died! Because of me!" Itoma yelled, pointing a finger at herself.

The Senator's eyes were fiery again, staring daggers into his, but he met her gaze unflinchingly. "Maybe because of you, maybe because of the KSF, maybe because of myself, maybe because of deep rooted sociological issues, maybe because of something else. Maybe, maybe, maybe. We can play the 'maybe' game forever, Itoma."

If looks could have killed, Sascha would have been a dead Jedi, courtesy of Itoma Kuat's glare, "I am still the Senator from Kuat and you will address me as such."

"Sorry, I thought you resigned," shrugged Sascha laconically.

"I said I should resign from the Senate, not that I was actually resigning."

Sascha smiled inwardly, his plan to draw the Senator out of her inward focused trance had been a success, but he really wasn't sure where to take the conversation from here. "Sorry, Senator, I guess I misunderstood." Then he heard an insistent knock on the door, which spared him from having to think of what else to say.

He opened the door, and unsurprisingly saw Tyra on the other side. Tyra walked in confidently, quietly whispered to him, "Master Nal'ma wants us to meet him in the communications room." Then she spoke loudly and authoritatively to the rest of the people in the room, "Form a line, we are moving you to another room. You will be safe there."

As everyone in the room compliantly formed an orderly line, Senator Kuat rose unsteadily to her feet, her complexion returning to her face. "Another Jedi, Padawan Whitestar? How many of you are on Kuat?"

Tyra Harker met the Senator's gaze, shrugged fractionally and started to lead the small procession through the winding hallways of Tevanteer house. Sascha allowed himself a small internal smile, if there was anyone that couldn't be intimidated by a Senator that was several times her age it was Tyra Harker. Itoma Kuat still seemed slightly unsteady on her feet and he offered himself as support, letting her wrap an arm around his shoulder to steady her as they walked the short distance to their destination.

Tyra turned smartly into a standard looking communications room that was busy with KSF personnel bustling around. At the centre of the storm was Teff Nal'ma, Jedi Knight and Tyra's Master. Teff was a middle aged, green-skinned Twi'lek, his lekku, the twin tentacles that grew from the base of a Twi'lek's skull, were draped artfully around his shoulders. Upon seeing the procession entering the room, Teff turned calmly and addressed the Senator, "Ah, Senator Kuat, it is good to see you alive. I trust Padawan Whitestar saw to your protection adequately?"

"He did, and I continue to be in his debt," said Itoma respectfully.

The Twi'lek nodded, "Good." Teff turned and gestured to a KSF soldier who directed the other aristocrats into another room. The Twi'lek Jedi Knight ambled slowly around the room, "Senator you might be interested to know that you are a dead woman."

"Excuse me?" Itoma replied, an incredulous look on her face.

Teff smiled without humor, "The media has done a good job of jumping the gun as usual, all across Kuat they've been reporting that you have been seriously injured and at least reporter one reporter quoting 'sources' has claimed that you have died. Many Kuati citizens have taken to the streets in anger as a result of this report. You need to make a statement, confirming you are alive and calming this situation down before it gets out of hand."

Itoma looked taken aback, "Statement? But I don't even know what I would say. I don't know how many have died or are injured or who attacked me. I'm not ready to make any sort of statement. As the Senator for Kuat, I have a responsibility to be truthful in my statements, let the rumor mongers do as they will."

Teff looked sternly at Itoma Kuat, "I'm not asking you, Senator Kuat. I'm telling you that you need to make a statement before more people get hurt tonight."

The Itoma Kuat of four hours ago would have blustered right back at the Jedi Knight, but the current version of Itoma Kuat did not have the same sort fire in her. Instead of bluster, Itoma looked away vacantly, and started to slump over, forcing Sascha to hold her steady.

"Padawan Whitestar, is the Senator hurt?" commented Teff sharply.

Sascha steeled himself to reply, Tyra's Master intimidated him more than a little, "She is physically unhurt, Master Nal'ma. However this past week and the past hour has been quite trying for her, I think she may need a few minutes to recover."

Teff gave Sascha and the Senator a baleful look "You have five minutes, Senator, otherwise I'm giving an interview on your behalf."

Dismissed for the moment, Sascha led the Senator to a chair off to the side and away from the chaos in the room. Itoma slid gratefully into it. "Can you find Colonel Zarbo for me, Padawan? I know you aren't a fan of his, but we've worked together for a few years and I would like to hear his advice. I left Coruscant without many of my aides, and now I find myself without supporters."

Itoma looked so despondent at that moment he almost felt like embracing her in a hug. Instead, he nodded politely, "I'll inquire as to his whereabouts, Senator." He was about to turn and leave when he paused and pivoted on his foot, facing Itoma again. "I don't believe that Master Nal'ma is bluffing when he says that he'll give an interview on your behalf in a few minutes. I'm not sure that will be great for your reputation."

Senator Kuat sneered weakly, "And why do you care whether or not my reputation is ruined, Sascha?"

"I don't," he said honestly, "but Master Nal'ma is correct in saying that a statement coming from you is likely to be a lot more impactful than one coming from an unknown Jedi Knight. I don't know about you, but I've seen enough blood being shed today." He shivered for a moment, realizing that he had felt beings die back in the ballroom of Tevanteer House. He had become acquainted with death on this mission, though he was hoping it would not become a familiar companion.

"Being lectured by a youngling, how far I've fallen," Itoma muttered to herself. "Very well, give me a minute to collect my thoughts."

Sascha took that as the dismissal that it was and went to track down the whereabouts of Colonel Zarbo. The young Jedi flagged down a KSF officer that looked like he wasn't all that busy, "Excuse me, sir. Do you know where Colonel Zarbo is? Senator Kuat was looking for him."

The KSF man's expression turned sorrowful, "Son, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Colonel Zarbo passed away in the fighting, we believe he was the man who threw himself on the grenade in the ballroom."

Sascha thanked the KSF man, and stared blankly into the distance for a moment, trying to compile his thoughts. It was hard to think of Colonel Zarbo, a man he had clashed with repeatedly, being that selfless and sacrificing himself for the greater good of his fellow Kuatis. Perhaps, decided Sascha Whitestar, he had been too hard on the Colonel. Perhaps he had let his emotions get the best of him. He knew that in death, Colonel Zarbo had taught him a lesson about judging people. He would honor his memory by remembering it.

Tyra noticed his distress and quietly moved to his side, "what's wrong Sascha?"

He brushed a hand against his Padawan braid with a quick motion, "It's…it's nothing, I have to tell the Senator some bad news now though."

Tyra frowned, "Can't it wait? She's about to be on the Holonet."

Sascha shook his head, "I think she wants to know now."

His best friend knew better than to argue with him, "Well you know her better than I do."

Despite what he told Tyra, he's not sure he is doing the right thing. He could easily hold the news about Colonel Zarbo until afterward. However, he knows the Senator well enough to make his decision. He returned to Itoma Kuat, who seemed to be mentally preparing herself to give a statement. "Senator Kuat…"

Itoma looked up, "Yes, Padawan?"

He braced himself, "I'm sorry to have to be the bearer of bad news…but we have received word that…Colonel Roy Zarbo passed away tonight, and we believe that he was the person who threw himself on top of the grenade that was loosed on the floor of the banquet hall."

Itoma Kuat closed her eyes, appearing not to even breathe for a long few moments. He was almost at the point where he was going to ask if she was all right, when she rose with renewed commitment and focus. She made her way towards the Holonet transmitter, striding right past him, ignoring him as if he didn't exist.

Sascha observed as Itoma nodded at the technician at the desk, and she turned towards the small camera that would record her message, which would be seen and heard across Kuat. Even though her hair was in disarray and her makeup was hardly pristine, it made her seem more formidable, as if she had walked through fire and remained unscathed.

Adopting a confident pose, Itoma began her speech, her second of the night, "Gentlebeings of Kuat. As I am sure you are aware, a tragedy has occurred tonight at the Tevanteer banquet. I am sure there has been much speculation in the media as to whom is behind these attacks and what their goals are. In my opinion, it does not matter who they were or what they wished to accomplish. The focus tonight and the rest of the week should be on those that lost their lives tonight. I myself saw many selfless acts tonight. Heroic acts. I myself was carried to safety partially by a young woman I hired only a few days ago. The fact that she went above and beyond for me…it humbles me, it makes me wonder if I would have had the same courage in her shoes. I hope that I would, but now I know that Ralla Darst does. She represents the best that Kuat has to offer, and I am privileged to call her an employee of mine."

The Senator paused for a long, respectful moment, almost swaying on her feet. "I have also just received word that my chief of security, Colonel Roy Zarbo of the Kuati Security Force perished tonight, and we believe that he was the person who selflessly threw himself onto a grenade that had been tossed into the mass of beings attending the banquet. It was an act that likely saved tens or hundreds of lives."

Itoma Kuat's brown eyes showed deep compassion, but her voice never wavered, "Colonel Zarbo served the KSF with distinction for seventeen years, where he received numerous commendations. For the last two years he served as my chief of security…he will be…dearly missed by everyone who was fortunate enough to meet him. I ask that we spend this upcoming week, not mourning, but celebrating the lives of those we lost. Good people were lost tonight; I would like each of their stories to be told, to be understood, to be cherished. I would like us to be an example to the galaxy on how to react to such a heinous act. Not with anger, but with compassion. Show the galaxy how strong Kuat can be, even at times when it seems darkest. I ask all of you to be strong, to be with your loved ones. Stay at home. Let the facts be determined before resorting to acts of passion."

Itoma bowed her head briefly, "I hope to speak to you all again later this week. Thank you, and goodnight."

After the Senator's transmission ended, the KSF personnel that had listened to the whole speech began clapping in appreciation of Itoma's words and Sascha almost felt inclined to join them.


	37. A Welcoming Family

After Itoma's speech was done and the clapping subsided, Tyra elbowed him softly in the ribs, "I liked the part when she gave absolutely no credit to the Jedi."

Sascha hadn't even felt Tyra moving to her side, when she wanted to, Tyra could be extremely sneaky. "It doesn't bother me," he said, "And I was the one who was parrying those blaster bolts up there. Which reminds me, where did you and Master Nal'ma come from? Was it something Luminara planned and just didn't bother to tell me?"

Tyra brushed her brown hair away from her eyes, "Nah, it was a kind of a spur of the moment thing from Master Nal'ma, we were sent here by the Council to interview some Kuati aristocrats and we weren't getting anywhere, everyone kept stonewalling us. So he decided that we might have some more luck if caught some of them in a more…celebratory mood, perhaps after they had some libations at the banquet."

"That hardly seems like something a Jedi should do," Sascha said reproachfully.

Tyra seemed unphased, "Hey, I don't make the plans, I just follow them. So we were waiting outside of Tevanteer House, when things went sour. Master Nal'ma and I are forming a habit of being at almost being at the right place at the right time. Anyway, we tried to help out, but by the time we got past security, there wasn't much for us to do," Tyra grimaced briefly before waving him forward, "Come on, let's see if Master Nal'ma wants us to do something."

Sascha let Tyra take the lead, feeling slightly self-conscious that he wasn't dressed like a Jedi. His robes had been a second set of skin for so long it was weird not to have them on. Plus, he was interacting with the famously stern and aloof Teff Nal'ma, and he thought he would need every piece of comfort he could get. It had taken Tyra almost a full year for any sort of rapport to form between her and Teff, the Twi'lek was not exactly a friendly and outgoing person.

The two Padawans found the green-skinned Twi'lek conversing with a group of KSF agents, so Tyra and Sascha waited patiently for the Jedi Knight to take notice of them. Before that could happen however, a KSF communications officer ran over and got the attention of the Jedi Knight. The officer spoke breathlessly, "Master Jedi, a call has come in from Onara Kuat, asking for you and Senator Kuat."

"Is everyone on this planet named Kuat?" muttered Teff to no one in particular. The Twi'lek straightened, "Very well, the Senator and I will take the call privately if that can be arranged."

The communications officer nodded quickly in assent, "Of course, I'll direct the transmission to room three."

Teff waved for the Padawans to follow him to room three and shortly after they entered the room, Itoma Kuat joined them. Sascha and Tyra positioned themselves well into the background, which was the proper spot for a Padawan…but to Sascha it felt weird for him suddenly to be in the background when only an hour ago he had saved the Senator's life. The contradictions of being a Padawan, he supposed.

The holographic projector whirred to life and the holographic form of Onara Kuat joined them. Sascha knew from his research that Onara Kuat was the head of the Kuat family and the director of the Kuat Drive Yards. Therefore, she was seen by some as the unofficial head of state of Kuat, and she wielded substantial power through her family and her wealth. Sascha knew that Onara was older than Itoma Kuat by a few years, you wouldn't have known it by looking at the two women – Onara's well defined, aristocratic features had aged well, and in particular, her cool brown eyes revealed absolutely nothing.

"It is good to see you well, Itoma," Onara Kuat began in a tone that made it far from clear that was indeed the case.

"It's good to see you too, Onara," said Itoma, grudgingly. Sascha surmised that this wasn't sort of friendly family reunion, the two women seemed to be almost rivals.

"Indeed," said Onara, folding her hands in front of her, "You gave us quite a scare, Itoma, we would hate to lose you when you are finally doing such good work for Kuat." Itoma flinched at the comment, but said nothing. Onara continued, "It is time for you to come home Itoma, you are far too important to Kuat to have your security be handled by the KSF, it seems to me that they've bungled everything mightily so far. If it weren't for your new Jedi friends bailing them out, well, who knows how bad things could have gotten. Come and stay with us for now, with family."

"I leave my new Jedi friends to decide on my security," remarked Itoma icily. Sascha suppressed his surprise, after all that they had been through now she was going to trust the Jedi?

The hologram of Onara Kuat showed a stern, almost disbelieving expression, "Itoma, don't be petty, I'm giving you the chance to relieve the KSF of some of the pressures you've placed on them, they are clearly not able to keep you secure."

Teff interjected, "If I may, Senator Kuat, I don't see the harm in going to the Kuat family estate. If there is a leak within the KSF, which certainly seems possible, then you will be safer at Kuat estate, and it will be easier for us to protect you in a more secluded area."

Sascha gritted his teeth, the safety of the Senator was supposed to be his and Luminara's mission, and now Teff Nal'ma had stepped in and was making decisions without consulting either of them. But, being a Padawan it was not his place to upstage a Jedi Knight in public. He didn't even know what Luminara was up to, or where she was, but he doubted that she'd be amused at her authority being usurped.

Itoma Kuat considered the proposal for a moment, "Would Master Luminara join us? I haven't seen her since she left earlier today."

"Master Luminara is currently overseeing the treatment of wounded from the banquet, but when she is done, I'm sure she will join us. I'm only temporarily assuming her responsibilities," replied the Twi'lek.

"Very well then," said Itoma Kuat, "Onara, we'll join you at the family home."

"I'm glad you saw sense, we shall send transport for you and your Jedi friends." And just like that Onara Kuat ended the transmission, her holographic form winking away in the blink of an eye.

"The Jedi are not my 'friends' Onara," Sascha heard Itoma Kuat mutter. Well, in some ways it was nice to have the old Itoma Kuat back, he thought, in others…not so much.

"Well that's settled then," said Teff, "I'll contact Luminara and tell her the change in plans."

Sascha figured it was about time he spoke up, "If I may, Master Nal'ma, I'll deliver the message to Master Luminara myself."

The Twi'lek nodded curtly, "Very well, Padawan Whitestar, but if you aren't back by the time the transport that will take us to the Kuat family estate is here, we are leaving without you." The Twi'lek turned to face his apprentice, "Tyra, you will watch the Senator." Both Padawans bowed briefly and Sascha quickly made his way out of the communications room and back towards the ballroom of the Tevanteer House.

As he arrived in the room, he could still sense the panic and the chaos that still seemed to linger in the ballroom, even more than an hour after the attack had occurred. There were also physical signs of the attack evident. Blaster scars dotted the walls and there were still reddish patches of blood visible on the floor. Fancy cloaks had been discarded in haste, and laid scattershot around the floor. The state of the room chilled Sascha, just hours ago it had been glittering spectacle, a testament to one of Kuat's longest held traditions. Now little of that glamour remained and it seemed as if the room would be permanently scarred by what had happened this night.

Sascha made his way through the room, which had been left mostly empty, and into the courtyard, which was still abuzz with activity. A triage centre had been set up, by this point it looked like all the serious injuries had been transported away to receive medical attention, so all that was left were those with minor wounds. He could sense Luminara nearby, but his connection with her wasn't quite strong enough to lead him directly to her, so he took a few wrong turns along the way, embarrassingly. After some trial and error, he found the Miralian Jedi Knight as she was using the Force to heal a Kuati aristocrat with an ugly looking but seemingly superficial facial wound.

"Can I help you, Padawan?" asked Luminara, her eyes closed in concentration.

"Yes, Master Luminara. On the request of Onara Kuat, and the advice of Master Nal'ma, Senator Kuat will be transferring to the Kuat family estate. A transport should be coming soon to pick us all up to take us there."

The Miralian was still concentrated on healing the unfortunate Kuati, but he saw her hands ball into fists in frustration. "I see Master Nal'ma hasn't changed a bit." Sascha could tell that Luminara wanted to say more, but knew better than to take out her irritation on him. "Very well, I offer you the choice to stay here and help me heal those that need assistance or to stay with the Senator."

Sascha glanced around, there were still quite a few Kuatis that could use some medical attention… "I'd love to help, Master Unduli, but I'm not sure I'm in the right mental state to be an effective healer," he said honestly.

"It is good to know your strengths and weaknesses," Luminara replied distractedly, "I will see you later Padawan, please do take good care of Senator Kuat."

"I will, Master Luminara," he promised

Sascha then turned to head back to Tevanteer house, but before he got too far away, Luminara called out to him, "Oh and Sascha, good job again tonight, Aurine has trained you well."

He turned and bowed to the Jedi Knight, "Thank you, Master Unduli that means a lot to me." Without another word, Sascha slipped away into the night, returning to the communications room, which was currently much less busy than it had been a few minutes ago.

Sascha found Tyra looking rather bored, as she stood in front of a door of a room that he assumed contained Itoma Kuat. Upon noticing his approach, his friend smiled at him, "I have good news for you, someone dropped by with some fresh clothes for the Senator and they brought your travel bag too, so you can change out of those awful Kuati clothes if you want."

"Thank the Force," Sascha replied, relieved.

As Tyra handed him his bag, a sly look appeared on her face, "Just let me take one last mental picture of you wearing these clothes, actually, maybe I should get my datapad and take a picture for Doro, Trigg and the rest of the clan…"

Sascha gave Tyra a wounded look, and received a mirthful one in return. Sascha realized that Tyra was acting playful not because it was in her character to do so, but because she was trying to keep his spirits up. Despite knowing that, he was cheered up by Tyra. He sent her a wave of gratitude through the Force, a silent thank you to his close friend. He would have loved a few minutes just to talk to her in private, but the way this mission was going, that might never come.

A few minutes later, Sascha emerged from his impromptu changing room, feeling much better in his normal Jedi attire than in his stiff Kuati clothing. Itoma, Teff and Tyra were waiting for him as he emerged. Teff looked at him sternly, "You thought it more prudent to change clothes than to inform me of Master Luminara's response?"

Sascha felt his face redden in embarrassment, "Sorry, Master Nal'ma. Master Unduli has chosen to stay and help the injured for now, she'll rejoin us when she can."

Teff glared at him for an awkward moment, and he found himself staring at the ground. Beside him, he could feel Tyra wanting to leap to his defence, but she remained quiet, not wanting to act against her Master. The Twi'lek sighed in disappointment, "It doesn't matter now, Padawan Whitestar. We shall be on our way then. Tyra, you'll pilot the speeder that Onara Kuat has sent."

Tyra interjected, "Actually, Master Nal'ma, Sascha has always been a better pilot than me, and he's more familiar than Kuat, perhaps he should be the one piloting the speeder."

The green-skinned Twi'lek's lekku twitched in irritation, and he glared at his Padawan, but unlike him, Tyra did not shy away from it, engaging her Master in a battle of wills, something Sascha was pretty sure Tyra didn't ever lose. After another very awkward silence, Teff finally spoke in a clipped, cool tone, not taking his eyes of his Padawan, "Have it your way then, Padawan Harker."

Ultimately, it didn't matter who piloted the speeder, as Sascha left the vehicle on autopilot for most of the uneventful trip to yet another aristocratic estate. This time the darkness of the Kuati night prevented Sascha from seeing the extent of this one, though its remote location probably indicated that it had the potential to be the largest yet. He would have been surprised if it wasn't the largest estate on Kuat, just as a matter of pride for the most influential family on the planet.

The three Jedi and Itoma Kuat clambered out of the speeder to meet their greeting party, a single silver protocol droid. "I expected slightly more of a greeting party," he said.

"As you may have noticed, Onara Kuat and I don't exactly get along," replied Itoma dryly.

"I would have expected at least some guards, considering there are three Jedi accompanying you," noted Teff.

Itoma snorted disdainfully, "To do what exactly? Fight three Jedi? Onara Kuat did not become head of the Kuat family by being stupid or by picking fights she cannot win."

"It sounds like you respect her, Senator Kuat – I thought you said you didn't get along," said Tyra.

Itoma glanced at Tyra, attempting to take the measure of the new Padawan, "Let's just say we have…very different visions for what is best for Kuat. It makes family dinners interesting and contentious affairs. However, we are still family."

The protocol droid, its servomotors whirring loudly as it moved, directed the group to the front entrance, where at last they were met by four guards and a tall Kuati nobleman in a long red robe. Sascha noted his striking green eyes that struck him as deeply intelligent.

"Welcome home Itoma," spoke the tall nobleman in a dulcet tone, "it has been many years since you've been home, though I wish it was under better circumstances than these." The man's eyes looked over the three Jedi, "I see we are also blessed by having three Jedi join us." The man nodded at Sascha, "I believe we owe you a substantial debt for protecting Itoma tonight, young Jedi."

Sascha bowed his head in acknowledgement of the praise, "Thank you sir, but I was only playing my role, there were many heroes tonight that deserve more attention than me."

The tall man grinned slightly, "I hold no rank, young one, I'm Kuat of Kuat." The three Jedi glanced at each other, was there really someone named Kuat of Kuat? Kuat spread his hands wide, "My parents were very creative people," Kuat replied sarcastically, "perhaps it may be easier to call me 'the Technician,' because everyone else does."

"How did you get that nickname?" he asked.

Itoma smiled, "You are looking at one of the finest ship designers in the galaxy, Master Jedi."

'The Technician,' smiled self-deprecatingly, "I do not consider myself to be anything special, though everyone else seems to disagree. Enough about me though," he said, waving the group inside, "I'm afraid most everyone else is asleep at this hour. Still, we have accommodations available for all of you. In the morning, Onara has scheduled an emergency meeting of the heads of the Ten families. Itoma you and the Jedi are invited to take part as well.

"The Ten families have finally been moved into action? There is still hope for our planet," remarked Itoma, a note of optimism in her voice.

"Either Master Unduli or myself will be pleased to represent the Jedi as well," said Master Nal'ma.

Sascha kept quiet, but he thought it was a very good thing that the Ten families, who essentially ruled the planet, were taking this situation seriously. Perhaps finally there might be some cooperation from the aristocrats of Kuat, and with their resources, the mystery of Itoma's attacker or attackers could be that much closer to being solved.

Master Nal'ma, Itoma and the Technician discussed the logistics of such a meeting while he and Tyra snuck closer to each other, not willing to be rude, but certainly wanting to get a few minutes to themselves. Finally, with all the details sorted out, 'The Technician' spoke up, "Very well, I believe it is best that everyone try to get a little bit of rest and try to put this horrible day behind us. The facilities of this house are available to all of you, but please contact the household guard before you go wandering around; tensions are a little high, security wise, for obvious reasons. I'll leave you all with the frequency to contact them. I can guide you to your rooms now if you want," the Technician turned to Itoma, "I assume you can find your way to your old room, Itoma?"

"I haven't forgotten the way," she said wistfully.

"If you'd follow me then, Master Jedi, we'll show you to the guest rooms," said the Technician.

Teff held up a hand before anyone could leave the main group, "Actually the Padawans will be guarding the Senator personally tonight."

'The Technician' seemed slightly surprised by this announcement but covered it well, "As you wish, Master Jedi, I'll tell the household guard to make that area off limits."

The green-skinned Twi'lek turned to the two young Jedi. "Guard the Senator, stay on alert, and divide the shifts if you need to. Either Master Unduli or myself will relieve you in the morning. Do not wander around and investigate your surroundings, just stay with the Senator. Am I clear?"

"It will be as you command, Master," spoke Tyra.

"It seems you can't get rid of me quite yet, Padawan Whitestar," commented Itoma.

"It does seem that way doesn't it, Senator," Sascha said, he then gestured to Itoma, "Please lead the way."

Itoma led the Jedi in the cavernous hallways of the estate before coming to a dead-end hallway with only one door. Itoma opened the door "My old room," she commented with more than just a little hint of melancholy in her voice. The room was essentially a carbon copy of many of the rooms that Sascha had seen in the other houses of Kuati aristocrats, wide, spacious and lavishly appointed. He and Tyra combed over the room, looking for any more surprises, but found none. Itoma thanked both Jedi for their diligence, "It will be nice to put this day behind me. I'm afraid there isn't much in the hallway in terms of accommodations, unless one of you wants to sleep at the foot of my bed."

"That won't be necessary, Senator. We are Jedi," stated Tyra,

"We take what is given," said Sascha, finishing off a typical Jedi mantra.

Itoma gave the two Jedi an odd look, "Good night, hopefully tomorrow will bring better tidings."

After Itoma closed the door, he turned to Tyra, "Do you think Master Nal'ma failed to notice how tired I am, or did he just not care?"

"He probably didn't care," said Tyra nonchalantly, "He's more into the 'tough love' school of teaching…without the love."

"Well at least I get to spend time with you," he said with a smile. Tyra smiled back. "I just need to contact Luminara first and give her an update on the situation," he said.

Tyra nodded her assent, "Okay, while you're doing that I'm going to go off exploring."

Sascha frowned at his friend, "I believe we were specifically told not to do that, by Master Nal'ma."

Tyra flashed a lopsided grin, "That was a little code between Master and Padawan. Besides, telling a Jedi that they shouldn't go exploring might as well come with a sign with flashing red lights that says, 'We're hiding something!' I want to go find what that something is. Anyway, the protection of the Senator is your mission, not mine."

"What if you get caught?"

"I'll just say I was looking for the refresher." Tyra looked at Sascha fiercely "If I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to protect me."

"You've never needed my protection Tyra, though at times I've needed yours," he said deferentially.

Tyra rolled her eyes, "See you in a bit, Sascha."

Sascha watched Tyra silently move down the corridor, and shook his head, there was no way he was ever going to talk Tyra out of going off alone. She had always had a bit of a stubborn side to her, he just hoped she wouldn't antagonize the security personnel. He certainly didn't fear for her safety, not one bit.

Knowing that he had a job to do, he engaged his comlink and called Luminara. The Miralian answered almost immediately, "Yes, Sascha?"

"Master Unduli, we've arrived at the Kuat family estate, everyone has settled down for the night, there will be a meeting of the Ten families' tomorrow morning, and the Jedi are invited, I believe it would be best if you were there to represent the Jedi."

There was a long pause from the Miralian, "Yes, I think that would be for the best, though I'm willing to bet that Master Nal'ma may think otherwise. I'll need to have a good, long, talk with Master Nal'ma beforehand." Sascha shook his head silently, there was certainly tension between the two Jedi Knights, and he wondered if they would be able to work together effectively. Luminara continued, "Sascha, you sound exhausted, I want you to get some rest, it has been a trying day and there will be more trials to come."

Sascha hesitated, "I'll try Master Unduli, but Padawan Harker and I have been tasked with guarding Senator Kuat for the rest of the night."

Luminara's voice hardened, "I see. Well I defer to Master Nal'ma's 'wisdom' on the matter. I will join you as soon as I can, may the Force be with you."

"And with you Master Unduli." The transmission ended, he turned off his wrist comlink and tried to settle in to the unfamiliar surroundings.


	38. A Friendly Reunion, A Meaningful Discussion

Sascha had just started to get comfortable when he felt the presence of Tyra growing stronger, indicating that she was getting closer. Odd. He would have thought that Tyra wouldn't have given up on her search so easily. A moment or two later, Tyra came walking back down the hallway in the company of two Kuat household guards that were obviously escorting her back to her post. A look of frustration was plastered on Tyra's face. It seemed that she was exasperated that her attempt to explore the premises of the estate had ended so quickly and apparently unsuccessfully. The two guards gave Tyra a stern look before turning smartly and disappearing back down the hall.

As she walked by him, he couldn't resist tossing in a little jab, "How was the refresher?" he asked sarcastically.

"Lavish, thanks for asking," replied Tyra, equally sarcastic.

He grinned, seeing Tyra again made him realize how much he missed her, as from the age of four to when she'd been taken on as a Padawan at thirteen, he'd seen her almost every day, and been a constant companion to him. After becoming a Padawan, there had been a marked drop-off in the time that they had to spend together, but whenever they could, they had tried to make time to be with each other. And when he had reached the same rank, there had been even less time to spend together. Yet, despite the lack of time they had spent together recently, Sascha felt that their friendship, their connection, was as strong as ever.

The two friends found as comfortable a spot in the hallway as they could and sat close to each other. After a silent moment, Sascha leaned into Tyra, placing his head lightly on her shoulder. Tyra wrapped a comforting arm around him, pulling him slightly closer. The two Padawans held that position for some time, each content to enjoy this moment of quiet friendship, not needing to say anything.

Sascha quietly let his mind drift, completely comforted by the embrace of his best friend. There had always been something calming about being around Tyra. She knew him so well that he felt like he could always be himself around her, he never had to put up a façade or lie to his best friend. And he never wanted to.

Sascha knew that didn't really have a home, had he had been born on Sluis Van and had lived most of his life on Coruscant, but more and more he realized that it was the time that he spent with his friends that gave him the strongest sensation of feeling like he was at home. And of his friends, no one mattered more to him than Tyra Harker.

After a while, he broke the friendly embrace, lest it go on for too long, "Is being a Jedi always this difficult Tyra?"

Tyra glanced at the floor, "No, you've drawn a very difficult first mission, Sascha." She rubbed his back gently, "I'm so proud of you though, I've read the reports on what you've accomplished so far, you've done so much good work and you're still going. I always knew you'd be a great Padawan. Now I get to see the evidence before me."

He looked into the eyes of his best friend, "Thanks Tyra, that really means a lot to me."

She barked a short laugh, "I don't think anyone can deny that you've done a great job, you've saved the Senator…twice now. You've led soldiers in a military engagement against a fearsome group of mercenaries, and you've done all of it brilliantly. It took me several missions to do even half of what you've accomplished on your first." Tyra paused, "You still seem kind of off though. What's bothering you?"

"It's Master Brynar," he admitted, "I miss her guidance, her wisdom. Her just…being there. This was the Jedi that selected me to be her Padawan and now she isn't here. It's as if all my safety nets have been cut loose at once. Everyone keeps telling me I'm doing well, but I don't know what I'm doing…not really. I just want her to show up and say 'you are doing well, Sascha." He sighed softly, "In some ways Aurine replaced Doro, Trigg and you as the closest person in my life. And to see her get hurt so badly like that, when I could do nothing to stop it or help her, it was just so exasperating." He shook his head in frustration, "You think that as a Jedi you have all these abilities, and you train and train and train to perfect them, then you get a chance to use them…and it didn't even seem to matter! I couldn't help her when she needed me." It took most of Sascha's self-control not dwell on the horrible moments when he had thought that Aurine had been taken from him forever. He knew that had she been around to talk to him, she wouldn't want him thinking about her, she'd want him to be focused on the tasks in front of him.

Tyra placed a calming hand softly on his arm, "You couldn't have done anything different Sascha, and in my reading of your report, it was your swift reactions that allowed her to receive medical treatment quicker, which probably saved her life."

He glanced away from Tyra, "I know…it's just…I hate it, feeling so helpless. How many thousands of training sessions did we do at the Temple? But now I get out here and it feels like a completely different world. I just feel so lost all the time."

Tyra spoke in a soft, comforting voice, "That feeling goes away with time, Sascha. You know they say that the first couple of years as a Padawan are the hardest years of a Jedi's life."

"I sure hope that's true," he said, all his fatigue seeming to catch up with him in that one moment.

Tyra reached over and pulled him close again. He didn't bother resisting her, he simply let Tyra pull his head into a comfortable position on her shoulder. He closed his eyes softly and relaxed. He deeply appreciated the comforting gesture from his best friend. Being with Tyra felt safe, felt like something that he knew and understood. After all the uncertainty of the past few days, he welcomed this familiar feeling.

A few minutes later Tyra pushed his head off of her shoulder and the two Jedi shared a look. Tyra rolled her eyes and called out, "You can come and join us if you want, Senator Kuat."

Itoma Kuat came out of her room in her sleepwear, looking tired, bedraggled and more than a little embarrassed that she had just been caught spying on the two Padawans. "You know, Senator it's pretty hard to sneak up on a Jedi," Tyra said in a conversational tone. Only Sascha, who knew her well, knew how annoyed she really was at the interruption.

Itoma huffed self-righteously, "I wasn't trying to spy on you, I just…I couldn't sleep so I was going to come out to talk to both of you, but you were both…busy, so I decided to watch quietly." The Senator then smiled warmly, "It's been many years since I have seen two young people so in love. Don't worry I won't tell your Masters, I know love is forbidden in the Jedi Order."

Sascha and Tyra looked at each other in disbelieving amusement, and then laughed loudly. "I'm sorry Senator, but we're not in love," stated Tyra firmly.

Itoma looked at them in a patronizing fashion, "I may not know the ways of the Jedi, and Kuati aristocrats may not be famous for their appreciation for love, considering we often marry to preserve bloodlines instead of for love, but I can see when two people are in love with each other."

"I think you are misreading our friendship for something it isn't," stated Tyra again, an edge to her voice.

"Well, we are kind of in love, depending on your definition of the word," he said.

Tyra raised her eyebrows inquisitively at him, and he understood her unspoken question, 'Do you really want to have this conversation with her?' He shrugged slightly at her in response, as if to ask if there was a different conversation she wanted to have with the Senator instead.

"Isn't the definition of love fairly consistent throughout the galaxy?" asked Senator Kuat.

"Amazingly, yes," he replied, "But we allow that there are many different kinds of love. The love a parent has for their children is different from the love that two brothers may have for each other, which is different yet again from the love that we say exists between 'lovers.' I don't think there is anything wrong with saying that I love Tyra like a sister."

Tyra grinned, amused, "Though there was a time where your thoughts for me were much stronger than just brotherly love."

He raised his eyebrows at her, "I couldn't help myself; you were so pretty when you were younger."

"And I'm not pretty now?" inquired Tyra in mock seriousness.

Sascha gave her an evaluating look, and then shrugged in an exaggerated fashion. Tyra sniggered and punched him playfully in the shoulder.

Itoma was chuckling at the joviality displayed by the two Padawans, "What happened between you two? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

He wasn't a big fan of revealing his past to the Senator, but he had started the conversation down this path, so he thought that he may as well follow it through. "Tyra and I are clanmates, which means that we go back to when we were very, very young. I can't even remember a time when we weren't friends. We were paired together a lot when we were training at the Temple and I guess through that we developed an intuitive understanding of each other."

"Plus," Tyra interjected, "Our strengths and weaknesses mesh nicely as well. Apart we have weaknesses, but together…we are a darn good team."

"The best," he said.

Tyra held her hands out, "Let's not overstate ourselves, we were never the best. I seem to remember losing quite a lot whenever we competed as a team."

"I don't remember," he joked, "Probably one of the concussions I received took away all my memories of those traumatic events."

Itoma was smiling slightly at their continued joviality, "So you were friends…what happened?"

Sascha rubbed his neck in a nervous gesture, "I guess I was…around thirteen when I found myself attracted to Tyra as 'more than just a friend.' I had fooled myself into thinking that because I was experiencing these feelings that it was a manifestation of the Force, and not just simply a crush that any other human my age would have. Pretty hilarious and pompous of me now that I think about it," Sascha found his face reddening in embarrassment. "Anyway, in a rush one day I professed my love to Tyra, I'll spare you the exact phrases, but the word 'destiny' seemed to come up a lot." He ran a hand through his hair, "It was not exactly my finest moment."

"Looking back now, it was kind of cute," continued Tyra, "But I didn't feel the same way that Sascha did, even ignoring the fact that the relationship that he wanted at the time was strictly prohibited by the Jedi Order. I just kind of assumed he'd get over it and we'd go back to being friends, but Sascha took my rejection rather badly. Our friendship waned slightly and he began to mope around a lot."

"I did not mope around," he denied hotly.

"Uh huh, and the nose dive your marks took was just a coincidence then?" Tyra countered.

He found himself reddening again, "Okay, maybe I pouted a bit…"

"Finally some honesty," said Tyra good-naturedly, "Anyway, I couldn't bear to see Sascha be so hurt by my rejection of him, so we sat down one night and discussed what we wanted out of our friendship."

He spoke warmly, remembering that conversation, "Tyra showed me that what I had wanted was not only impossible, but selfish, and she asked me if I'd rather be in a relationship with her or if I wanted us both to be Jedi. I finally realized that for her to commit herself to me like that I'd be making Tyra give up her dream and I didn't want that. I had rationalized that it would not be a big loss if I didn't end up as a Jedi Knight; after all, I'm not that talented. But Tyra? One day Tyra could become a Jedi Master, and I wouldn't want to be the person that prevented that."

He grinned slightly, "I also figured out that what I wanted out of a relationship with Tyra was not necessarily the physical part of it…though a kiss here or there would be fine by me…" Tyra punched him hard in the shoulder, and in response, Sascha smirked and rubbed the spot where she hit him. "Ow. But what I really wanted was friendship, or as I think I phased it, 'a relationship of the mind.'"

Padawan Harker picked up the story, "So we decided that night that we would be friends, as close as brother and sister, having no secrets between ourselves, but that we would remain committed to the ideals of the Jedi. After all, if there is anyone that is committed to the Jedi it's Sascha. I don't think he really realized what he'd have been giving up." Tyra paused and smiled warmly, "I have to say that it's worked out great, our friendship, our connection is stronger than ever, we both made the rank of Padawan and we are both on our way to becoming Jedi Knights. I'm sure part of the reason Master Nal'ma and I were sent here is because you and I work so well together. So we may not get to see each other as much as we did when we were younglings, but we'll always be friends, always be a source of strength for each other." Tyra paused significantly, and looked Sascha straight in the eye, "You ever regret it Sascha, wished it turned out differently? Wished that the rules of the Jedi were different?"

"Never," he said honestly.

When the Jedi turned around to face Itoma Kuat, the Senator had tears streaming down her face. Both Padawans gave her anxious looks, but Itoma waved away their concern, "I'm sorry for getting so emotional young ones, but today has been such a hard day and your story is so beautiful, it seems like such a shame that your Jedi Code prevents you from being together. It seems so…cruel to have you two be forced to only be friends."

"It doesn't prevent anything, Senator," said Tyra "We're allowed to care for each other like this, what we are not allowed to do is form attachments."

"What's the difference?" asked Senator Kuat.

Sascha and Tyra shared a glance, silently deciding who wanted to speak. Finally, Tyra chose to answer, "Well, I'm not exactly sure, but I've always taken it to be that when you are 'attached,' you let that attachment dominate your thoughts, and you make decisions based on your attachments rather than the will of the Force. I'm not sure there is some sort of concrete line where friendships become attachments." Tyra shrugged, "We've never hid our friendship, so I assume if someone thought we were was crossing the line, they'd tell us to stop."

Sascha picked up from Tyra, "The quote that comes to mind for me is 'A Jedi is a Jedi, first, foremost, and only. For a Jedi to divide his attention between the will of the Force and the will of others is to invite disaster.'"

Itoma shook her head, "This all seems so strange to me. I always thought if two people loved each other, they should be together, end of story. I'm still not sure why attachments have to be prohibited." Itoma barked a laugh, "Then again I'm not a Jedi."

He offered the Senator a little smile, "There are some odd rules in the Jedi Order, but if you think about it…and I have, the relationship that Tyra and I have is closer than many married couples have. Our connection in the Force is so strong that we can read each other's emotions, so I always know how Tyra is feeling, and there is no defence from that, no way to lie to the Force. So we don't really have to use words to communicate, when I saw Tyra today, I already knew what she wanted to say, she didn't have to say it."

"I say it anyway, sometimes, just because," laughed Tyra. She then looked contemplative, "It is interesting, we've never had this conversation before between the two of us. I'm not sure we had to have this discussion, I think we understood what our relationship was, but speaking it out loud really crystallizes how important our friendship is, how it makes both of us better. So thank you Senator, I'm not sure we ever would have had this conversation otherwise. It was a worth having."

Itoma Kuat smiled weakly while using a cloth to wipe away the remainder of her tears, "You're welcome, Master Jedi."

Tyra seemed to hesitate, but chose to speak into the silence, "I can sense that there was something else you wanted to talk about Sascha, go ahead and spill it."

Sascha looked away, weary, "I experienced the worst day in a Jedi's life on Narvis Rock. I haven't talked to anyone about it yet."

Tyra frowned, "You haven't talked with Luminara about it?"

He checked the cuffs on his robe, nervously, "She either forgot or didn't want to have the conversation, though in fairness we've been quite busy."

Itoma Kuat held up a hand like a patient student in class, "Excuse me, can I get a Jedi to basic translation, please? What is the worst day of a Jedi's life?" asked Senator Kuat.

Tyra placed a gentle hand on his back and spoke to Itoma Kuat, "The worst day in the life of a Jedi is the first time he or she takes a life. Was Tu Dronos your first Sascha?"

"Yes," he said, his voice oddly flat and devoid of emotion.

Itoma glanced back and forth between him and Tyra, "I don't understand, Padawans. Tu Dronos was a pirate who had harmed the Republic in the past, commanded the troops that wounded your Master and slew several KSF troopers, surely he deserved death?"

"A Jedi only takes a life only as a last resort, Senator Kuat," said Tyra Harker.

"It's partially my fault that he is dead," he admitted, "If I had been less overconfident, if I had fought better or done a hundred little things differently I could have disarmed him instead of killing him." Sascha sighed, "In the end it was going to either be him or me, so I made the only choice I could. It doesn't make it any easier to deal with though."

"Shiak?" asked Tyra.

"Sai Cha," replied Sascha, sadly.

"Translation please?" asked Itoma Kuat. This time neither Jedi offered one.

Itoma must have sensed that the Jedi were not going to answer her question, so she asked another one, "I understand why it would have been preferable to take Tu Dronos alive, Padawans, but I'm not sure I comprehend why taking a life makes it the worst day of a Jedi's life. Surely a Jedi must go through many hardships over their life?"

Tyra spared him from answering that painful question, "Senator Kuat, we are taught at the Jedi Temple that each being, even the worst criminal or most vicious dictator is a luminous and special being in the Force. Certainly, it is easier to rationalize the death of someone like Tu Dronos, but it does not change that as Jedi we can quite literally feel someone's presence in the Force drift away. It is not a pleasant experience to be the cause of that, and I know that it likely was especially painful for Sascha, who is more emotional than most Jedi."

"I don't know that it affected me more than most, but when I get some free time again, I'm certainly going to spend some time meditating on it," replied Sascha.

"I'm not sure any free time is going to be allocated to us the way that this mission is going," remarked Tyra dryly.

As if taking Tyra's remark as a comment on her presence, Itoma Kuat rose and spoke, "Thank you, Padawans, this talk has been quite illuminating, but I must try to get some sleep before the night is over."

Itoma went back into her room and the two Jedi waited to make sure that she wasn't listening in on them. After they were content that Itoma was asleep, Tyra turned to him, "So I've only just met the Senator, but I have no idea what to make of her. She guards her thoughts and emotions as well as any non-Force user I've ever met, but then she's out here talking to us like a normal person and crying over our story. You were always the one that intuitively understood people, what do you make of her?"

Sascha thought about it briefly, not for the first time on this mission, "I have no idea."

Tyra wrapped an arm around him again, "Then let's not worry about it for the moment."


	39. Returns, Revelations

In the morning, Teff Nal'ma relieved the two exhausted Padawans from guarding Itoma Kuat, allowing both he and Tyra to retreat to separate rooms and collapse into their beds for a well-deserved rest.

As had become the norm for this mission, Sascha would not get the sleep he had been so craving, as mere hours after he had gotten to sleep, he was awoken by Luminara. When his consciousness returned to him, he saw that the Miralian was sitting on the edge of his bed, and was jostling his shoulder lightly. When she realized that he was indeed waking up, she gave him some space and moved to the side of his room.

When he felt like he had cleared enough of the cobwebs from his brain that he could form coherent thoughts, he spoke, "Can I help you, Master Luminara?"

Luminara grimaced sympathetically, "Padawan, I am sorry to wake you so soon, but I have need of you."

"Of course…" Sascha tried to suppress a yawn unsuccessfully, "…Master Unduli. What can I do for you?"

The Miralian got right down to business, "We've received a transmission routed through the Jedi Temple from 'Alpha,' your contact that you met in Kuat City. He wishes to meet with you again, in a couple of hours at the place you were picked up the first time. He says it is a matter of some importance."

Sascha was still trying to gain full functionality of his brain after being awoken, "Could this invitation be a trap, Master Unduli?"

"You thought that this man was trustworthy the first time you met him, has your opinion changed on the matter?" inquired Luminara.

Sascha shook his head, not only to disagree with the statement, but to shake the remaining cobwebs out of his head, "Sorry Master Unduli, it feels like everything has been a trap this mission…I think I'm becoming a bit paranoid," he admitted. Quite honestly, he was getting a bit tired of being shot at or being led into traps.

Luminara stroked her chin thoughtfully, "I could send Padawan Harker to escort you to the meeting site if you felt like you needed the support, however the message did specify that you should come alone."

Sascha rubbed his eyes and threw the covers off the bed, revealing his half-bare legs, "No, I'll go alone, just give me some breakfast and some time to refresh myself."

Luminara offered him an appreciative nod, "I'll see that all the preparations for your trip to Kuat City are made, including a large breakfast."

"Thanks, Master Luminara," he replied. When the Miralian was gone, he flopped dramatically back into the softness of his bed. Then, with a sigh he rolled out of bed and dressed for what was sure to be another interesting day on Kuat.

Not forty-five minutes later, and with a full stomach – Sascha could say many negative things about the Kuat family, but he had to admit that they served a top-notch breakfast, he was off to Kuat City again. The speeder that he borrowed from the Kuat family estate was of the highest quality. It was a new SoroSuub model, with a coat of paint fresh enough that perhaps indicated it was the first time it had ever been driven. A part of him wanted to put the speeder through its paces, and see what kind of maneuvers he could get up to with a speeder of this quality. But considering it was borrowed and he didn't really want to draw attention to himself, he refrained from doing so.

Upon arriving in Kuat City, he parked the speeder well away from his actual destination, wanting to walk around the city a bit and get a feel for how the city had reacted to the attack at the Tevanteer Banquet. It had had only been yesterday that he had defended the Senator at the banquet, yet so much had happened since then, it felt like the attack had taken place a week ago.

The mood in Kuat City had certainly changed in the few days since Sascha he had last visited. Previously, the city had been upbeat and bustling, but the mood today was rife with anger, sorrow and uncertainty. Beings walked around quickly with their cloaks pulled over their heads, as if to get off the streets as fast as possible. The marketplace where Sascha had bought his Kuati fashioned cloak, which he was currently wearing, was a ghost town, with only few vendors set up and even fewer customers were in sight.

Sascha knew that the main story on the Kuati Holonet had been the attack on the Tevanteer House. No group had taken credit for the attack, but it was widely reported in the press that a group of dissidents had been behind what was being described as a 'cowardly' attack. What had prompted the media to report that, Sascha wasn't quite sure. What was clear was that there was significant outrage that the beloved Senator Kuat had been attacked. Added to the pre-existing discontent over the lack of democracy on the world, and there were many, many unhappy citizens today on Kuat.

In normal circumstances, the Tevanteer banquet would have kicked off a week of vacation, of holidays for most citizens of Kuat. Yet, as Sascha walks around the deserted streets, he doesn't get the feeling that this is a city reveling in in a special occasion, it feels more like a powder keg waiting for the right spark to set it off. A few minutes later on his walk, he finds evidence of said powder keg.

Sascha observes a mass of beings gathered outside of the KDY towers, one of the most important buildings on Kuat, being the nominal headquarters for the Kuat Drive Yards. Sascha takes a moment to observe the crowd from a distance. Quickly it becomes clear that this is some sort of organized protest. It all seems orderly so far; with KSF and other security forces merely watching the citizens use their right to assemble and make their displeasure known. There is however that tinge of danger that exists with any protest. Certainly, some citizens are only interested in showing their displeasure with the Ten families through non-violent means, but there may be some in the crowd who are only interested in creating a little anarchy. Those people could change this peaceful event into something much more fraught with peril.

Sascha knew that if given time he might have been able to find those people, but that was not his assignment. He didn't have much time to observe the protest, but Sascha made a mental note to mention it to Master Unduli when he returned.

He made his way to the meeting point without incident, and upon he arrival he spotted Seline, who was sitting casually on the same battered speeder that had transported him to the secret meeting place a few days ago. He silently caught the eye of Seline and she waved him over with a friendly smile. As if this was a replay from a few days ago, the same silent driver was at the controls of the vehicle.

Seline settled into her seat, and he took the other seat in the back of the speeder, "No stuncuffs this time?" asked Sascha.

Her eyes widened, "Put stuncuffs on the hero of the Tevanteer banquet? Do you take me for a traitor to my planet, Jedi?" said Seline indignantly.

"Hero of the Tevanteer banquet? Me?" asked Sascha incredulously.

"Do they not let you watch the evening news, Master Jedi? Poor thing," the young woman rubbed the top of Sascha's head condescendingly. Sascha brushed his hair back into place. Seline offered him a datapad with a video queued up on it, "Here, watch."

As Sascha watched the video play, he got a strange sense of Déjà vu, as here he was watching a video clip of him protecting Senator Kuat at the Tevanteer banquet. He was pleased at how calm he seemed in the video, even with the scene in chaos. He was less pleased to note how ridiculous the Kuati designed clothes looked on him.

"I really don't need to see this, I lived through it," he said, handing the datapad back to Seline.

Seline pushed the datapad back into his hands, "Keep watching."

Sascha rolled his eyes, but there wasn't really anything else to do in the speeder, so he turned his attention back to the flat screen. On the screen now was a distinguished looking Kuati man with well-coiffed black hair, Sascha surmised that this was a news broadcast. "As you can see the footage taken by Fontir News' own Brevik Partir is harrowing, but the actions of one young man, one young Jedi have captured the imagination of the planet. We turn now to Fontir News' own Jedi expert, Hal Grischuk." The camera panned to another well-dressed Kuati male wearing an ostentatious headdress.

Jedi expert? Sascha suppressed a laugh. Well, it was nice to know that if his career as a Jedi Knight didn't work out that he might have a job in the media waiting for him. The 'Jedi expert' spoke in a confident tone, "We see here yet another display of why the Jedi are the premier peacekeepers in the galaxy. The young Jedi anticipates the attack, and reacts quite brilliantly, saving Senator Kuat from what was a point blank shot from a would-be assassin."

The 'Jedi Expert' began breaking down the footage of him defending the Senator in detail, pointing out how Sascha had used the Force to aid in his defence of Itoma Kuat. It all sounded impressive, but it was quite clear to him that the 'Jedi Expert' had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. At one point, he described Sascha lifting Ralla Darst with the Force as, "An impressive feat of telekinetic strength," which it was anything but. He probably could have lifted Ralla when he was nine years old. Sascha wondered if the man's head would explode if he saw Master Yoda lift five of the famed Muntuur stones at the same time, each of which weighed several tons.

So lost in his own thoughts Sascha realized he was missing the man drone on self-importantly. Returning his attention to the screen he heard the 'Jedi Expert' continue, "…given the importance of the mission and the skill on display it is quite clear to me that this is an exceptionally talented young Jedi, perhaps a 'Padawan prodigy' of sorts. It would not surprise me to see this young Jedi pop up again in other high profile situations and perhaps become one of the most famous Jedi of his generation."

That last phrase was just too much for him and he could not hold back his laughter any longer. The idea that he, Sascha Whitestar, could ever be considered a prodigy was hysterical. He'd been the weakest in terms of pure Force power in his clan, and amongst his fellow Padawans he'd be in the lower twenty-five percent in terms of that abstract measure, hardly someone that was ever going to be 'one of the most famous Jedi of his generation.'

Seline stared at him, not understanding what he had found so funny. Sascha tried to find a neutral mien again, "Sorry about that, while I'm honored that some would consider me a hero, I want to definitively state that I am not any sort of Jedi prodigy."

Seline seemed disappointed; she snatched the datapad back from him and didn't say another word to him on the rest of the trip. That suited him just fine, but he wondered if he had made some sort of faux pas, in denying that he was anything special. Was he supposed to claim he's an all-powerful Jedi, when he most certainly was not? Something to ask Luminara when he had a spare moment, he decided.

The speeder pulled up at a nondescript looking warehouse in what Sascha figured was one of the suburbs of Kuat City. He was directed to a plain room where Alpha was waiting for him. When he first saw the older Kuati man, it looked like Alpha had aged a few years in the few days he had known him. Alpha seemed pensive and ill at ease, but that expression seemed to fade when he saw Sascha enter the room. Quickly, Alpha made a shooing gesture towards Seline, and by the time Sascha turned around, Seline was gone, leaving him alone with Alpha.

Sascha nodded to Alpha and offered him a respectful half-bow before taking the seat across from him. Alpha waved his polite bow away, "No need to bow to me young one, Kuat is in your debt for your actions last night."

"Thank you, Alpha," he replied.

The older man frowned, "Enough of that silly pseudonym, my real name is Gantar Clavis. I needed a fake name when I didn't know I could trust you, and now that I do, I may as well tell you who I am."

Well, thought Sascha, at least it was nice to be able to stop calling a man probably forty-five years his elder 'Alpha.' "Why did you call me here today, Gantar?" asked Sascha, intent on getting straight to the point.

Gantar flicked a hand through his thinning hair, "I was…not entirely forthright with you on our first meeting, your youth and obvious inexperience made me loathe to reveal to you all that I knew, but after the events of last night it is clear that you are worthy of my trust." Sascha waited patiently, and Gantar continued, "I told you that I was only the head of my cell of the PTDK, but that was a lie, I am the leader of the PTDK, all of it."

That admission surprised him, Gantar appeared competent and intelligent but seemed to lack the charisma one would typically see in a leader of such a group. Or so he thought, he could hardly claim to be an expert in such matters. "That's not why you wanted to meet with me though," Sascha pointed out.

Gantar straightened, seemingly a bit rebuked, "Of course not, I just wanted to make sure you know who you are talking to." The man nodded to himself, "As you suspected when we met earlier, I was a member of the KSF, in the intelligence division. Even though I've left the KSF, I still have the skills of an intelligence officer. So almost by force of habit, I have sources in the other dissident groups. It's been useful at times to know what our like-minded friends are up to, without them being able to know the same about us." Gantar folded his hands together on the table, "I'm prepared to offer you some information from my sources."

Sascha felt his eyes widening during Gantar's admission, perhaps he knew who had targeted the Senator last night, and perhaps finally, there would be a break in this Force forsaken mission. "Some information from your sources, Gantar? Not all of it?"

Gantar withdrew a datapad from one of his pockets, "On this datapad is some information that I feel is important enough to reveal to the Jedi. I won't just give you my files so that they can be handed over to the KSF, who will happily hunt us down like dogs. I want you to promise me you'll share this information with the Jedi and only the Jedi."

Sascha shook his head, "Gantar, I don't speak for the Jedi, I can't even speak for my Master. I'm just an apprentice; I can't make a promise like that, especially because I don't know what sort of information I'm receiving." Sascha felt a little bit of frustration creeping into his voice, he seemed to be so close to acquiring what could be vital information, but he knew that he had to be honest in dealing with a member of the public.

The Kuati man hesitated, clearly unsure of what to do next. Sascha wondered if he should just take the datapad from him and make a hasty escape. However, someone as experienced as Gantar Clavis probably wouldn't leave the information unsecured in all likelihood. Sascha wondered if anything in this mission will come easily.

Finally, after a lengthy internal battle, Gantar handed him the datapad.

"It's pretty useless without the password to unlock it," noted Sascha, a bit more caustically then he had intended. He got the sense that Gantar almost wanted to take the datapad back after his comment, not that he would have let him.

"Let me explain what is on the datapad first," said Gantar. Sascha nodded politely, and Gantar continued, "As I told you in our first meeting there are other groups on Kuat that are more inclined to want to bring democracy to the planet through more violent means. Many of these groups have of course been very encouraged by the outbreak of protests following the attack on the Senator, so they have decided to meet up to plan their best course of action."

Sascha blinked in confusion, "I must be missing something, Gantar. Why should me or my Master care about this meeting?"

"Because these dissidents are dangerous," Gantar said flatly. "Perhaps not all of them," he allowed after a short pause, "But some of them are, and it is impossible to know which ones. They are all energized by the protests that are sweeping across Kuat and they will want to take action. Some of them will be inclined to use violence to further their goals. They will think that a civil war will be to their benefit." Gantar shook his head, "And this is something I cannot allow, if I have the ability to stop it."

Sascha closed his eyes and tried to think through the relevant questions he wanted to ask, "Gantar, do you know who attacked the Tevanteer banquet?"

The older man froze for a second, and he could feel a slight amount of fear from the Kuati man. "I do believe it was one of these dissident groups."

"But why attack the Senator? Isn't she popular with groups like yours?" asked Sascha.

"Some are dissatisfied with how little she has managed to accomplish after her appointment to the Senate," replied Gantar. The Kuati started to pace, "For others she represents the Kuat family and that is enough to find her a worthwhile target. If she were to be assassinated she would become a martyr a person for the average Kuati to rally around."

Sascha, his brain racing with all of these details, was struggling to keep up with these revelations, "Do you have any proof of this?"

"What proof I do have is in the files, but I fear it would not be considered conclusive. It certainly would not hold up in a court of law," said Gantar.

Sascha felt his eyes narrow, "Why are you giving me this information? What do you want from me?"

Gantar brought his hands together, lecturing in an almost scholarly manner, "As I said, I want the Jedi to handle this. If I give the information about this meeting to the KSF, they'll come in guns blazing, shooting anything that moves and anyone that survives they'll just lock in a jail cell and throw away the key. The Jedi are much more principled in matters like these. I may want these…overzealous patriots out of the way for now, so that they cannot push Kuat into a path of violence, but I do not want them to rot in some nameless prison either. You see my dilemma, I hope. I'm just doing what I think…what I hope is right."

Sascha nodded solemnly, "I can take the information to my Master, I can argue that only the Jedi should be involved…but I can't promise more than that," Sascha threw his hands in the air, exasperated, "I'm sorry, I wish I could offer more, everyone thinks that I'm some hero, apparently. I'm not. I'm just a Padawan."

Gantar looked uncertain again, but seemed to nod to himself "I suppose that is going to be the best I can do. The password to unlock the files is 'Ronay.'"

Sascha stood, "Thank you, Gantar. I must be going then."

Gantar nodded solemnly, "Of course, may the Force be with you, young Jedi."

"May the Force be with all of us," Sascha muttered as he exited.


	40. Debates

Sascha got a ride back to his borrowed speeder with some of the PTDK men, who were curiously silent the entire ride. Outside of Seline, no one in Gantar's group seemed to be particularly talkative.

As soon as he was alone, Sascha used his comlink to call Luminara, and got no response. Frowning, he then tried Teff Nal'ma, who also failed to answer. Finally he called Tyra, who answered. "Sascha, this better be good, I was sleeping," said Tyra with obvious fatigue in her voice. She paused, "Why are you calling me on my comlink, aren't you in the next room over?"

"No," he replied, "I'm in Kuat City. Master Unduli sent me out here this morning on an important errand. I'm sending some files to your datapad, I need you to get them to Master Unduli or Master Nal'ma and no one else."

"These better be some damn important files," cursed a half-asleep Tyra. "Okay I'll do it, but they are in that meeting with the Senator and the heads of the Ten families, I can't just barge in and subtly hand them a datapad."

Right, thought Sascha, that was why he couldn't get a hold of either of the Jedi Knights, how could he have forgotten? "Then figure something out Tyra, I'm on my way back," he snapped. "See you then. Whitestar out."

Sascha was sure Tyra would think of some way to get the information to either of the Jedi Knights, but his priority now was to get back to the Kuat family estate and fulfill his promise to Gantar. Whether or not he would be successful in convincing the Jedi Knights to arrest the dissident leaders was another matter. He thought that it made sense to have the Jedi take down the meeting of the dissident leaders, Sascha had very little faith in the KSF, they seemed too incompetent to be trusted. In addition, if the KSF captured any leaders, they might not share their information with the Jedi, which would be downright criminal after he had worked hard to get the information in the first place. Thus, he reasoned, it made sense that the Jedi should intervene.

Still, something gnawed at him about being given all this information, was Gantar just doing this out of the goodness of his heart? He hadn't been able to sense any deception from the older Kuati, but it was possible he had been misreading the situation. In the end, Sascha reached only one conclusion, he was closer to driving himself crazy than he was to solving any of the mysteries that pervaded this mission.

Returning to the Kuat family estate, Sascha immediately found the three Jedi in in a room, hotly debating what action to take with his hard won information. Teff, lekku twitching wildly, was in the middle of finishing a point when Sascha entered, "…I know you've worked with the KSF before, but from where I sit, they've done nothing but bungle what little responsibility we've given them. We can take a small detachment from the Republic Judicials that are on planet, and arrest these dissidents, then sort it out later."

Luminara acknowledged his entrance briefly, and then returned her attention to Teff, shaking her head at the Twi'lek, "Arrest them for what though? We have no first-hand evidence of any wrongdoing. How can we interrupt their perfectly legal meeting and arrest them? What are we arresting them for? On the word of one source neither of us has met?"

Teff gestured towards him, "Sascha thinks that the source is trustworthy. Surely that counts for something."

Sascha hesitated for a split second, "I believe that Gantar Clavis is a man of honor that is trying to do what he thinks is best for Kuat."

"That's not the point, Master Nal'ma," countered Luminara, "The point is that even if we wanted to arrest these dissidents, they aren't guilty of anything more than using their right to free assembly!"

"So in your opinion we need to wait until…what?" said Teff. "Until we watch someone draw a blaster and point it at an innocent protester or police officer? Should we let them plan another attack like the one on the Tevanteer Banquet? Have you looked at the news today, Master Luminara? There are protests worldwide, and all there needs to be is one flashpoint to turn these nice, peaceful protests into potentially violent riots. Padawan Whitestar brings us intelligence that suggests that many of those who would be interested in leveraging these protests into becoming more violent are meeting in one place and we are supposed to sit by and let it happen?"

Luminara responded, not moved by the Twi'lek's arguments, "Jedi are not judge, jury and executioner, Master Nal'ma, we respect local laws. As I said before we should not be arresting citizens of the Republic on the suspicion that they will act a certain way. What I would suggest is that we go to the meeting as Jedi and try to dissuade these Kuatis that this is not the correct path to take. We are peacekeepers, we should at least try to keep the peace."

"And that is why we have the Judicials along," countered Teff. "So we can go arrest these dissidents, interrogate them, and if they turn out to be innocent, then we let them go, no harm done."

Luminara was getting animated, causing Sascha to cast a worried glance at Tyra, his friend bit her lip showing him that she was as worried about the argument as he was. "The harm is in arresting them in the first place!" shouted Luminara. "If you arrest them and they are innocent of doing nothing more than assembling, or our source has misled us, the lead story on the Holonet is going to be the Jedi overstepping their place. And our defence would be…what? 'We had one source that one of our apprentices met twice, so we came in and arrested everyone even though we had no legal right to.' How do you think that is going to play in the media?"

Teff was now equally animated, and was emphasizing his words by stabbing a finger angrily at Luminara, "I don't care in the slightest what the media thinks. We aren't responsible to them. As Jedi we are responsible to the Force and the Jedi Council, in that order. If the media wants to make a big story out of it…let them! I'm trying to protect people and if that costs some people their rights…well that was the price that was paid."

Luminara looked for a second like she might find another retort, but she turned away from Teff and took a deep breath, "I'm not sure that either of us is going to convince the other of their point of view, so let us not waste our breath."

The Twi'lek calmed down quickly, "It seems not, Master Luminara, unless one of the Padawans has anything to add that could sway us either way."

Sascha was surprised that he and Tyra were being consulted, but he spoke his mind, "I told Gantar that I would argue on his behalf, but Master Nal'ma has argued more eloquently than I ever could. In terms of an opinion…I don't have one, I bow to your wisdom, Masters."

Tyra stepped forward, head held high, "Masters, I don't see how we can let these dissidents meet and not do anything about it." Tyra turned to Luminara and offered her a polite bow, "Apologies, Master Luminara, but if we try to dissuade them from taking action and we are not successful, they'll simply meet again without our knowledge. I admit I find it distasteful to arrest people that may well be innocent, but I don't see the alternative being any better."

Teff nodded in approval, "I believe that settles it, Padawan Harker and I will contact the Judicials on planet and we'll take this meeting of dissidents down."

Luminara closed her eyes for a brief moment, "I believe that this course of action is wrong, but I cannot stop you. May the Force be with you, Master Nal'ma, Padawan Harker. Come, Sascha, we still have much to discuss."

The Miralian exited the room and Sascha followed suit. Sascha could feel the frustration burning deep inside the Miralian, but wasn't sure if he should comment on it or not. Again he missed his Master, he had a much better read on Aurine than he had managed to get on Luminara in his short time of acting as her Padawan. Not for the first time, he wonders if he might have made the wrong decision, and that he should have returned to Coruscant instead of staying with the mission. There was just so much that was new to him that he felt constantly overwhelmed and without the safety blanket of working with a Master that knew him well, it was almost too much to bear at times.

Luminara lead Sascha to Senator Kuat's room. To his surprise, Itoma was packing a large travel bag to the brim with dresses, datapads and accessories. "We're moving again?" he blurted without thinking.

Itoma Kuat glared at him, "Yes, I've had quite enough of the hospitality of the Kuat family. How could I have forgotten that Onara Kuat never offers something without wanting something in return? A silly mistake easily that is easily rectified."

"Is this really the best course of action, Senator Kuat?" asked Luminara. "Your family is…difficult, and I understand why you find them distasteful but at the very least you will be safe here. I can't promise that we can protect you if you leave. I shouldn't have to remind you that there seems to be lots of people that want you dead."

Itoma glowered at Luminara "No thank you, my place is with my people at this vitally important time and I intend to be with them, my safety notwithstanding." Itoma then left in a huff, leaving the two Jedi alone in Senator Kuat's old room.

"Master Luminara, can you explain to me what just happened?" he asked, as he massaged his suddenly aching temples.

Luminara adjusted her headdress, "I'll bring you up to speed on what happened at the meeting of the heads of the Ten families, Padawan. In short, the Ten families decided to do nothing. Despite the impassioned pleas of Senator Kuat, they feel that the current storm will blow over, much like it did a few years ago. They didn't even discuss any concessions they would be willing to offer the dissident groups." Luminara sighed heavily, "Our noble Senator took it rather badly and made quite a scene, basically accusing the Ten families that they cared more for their profits than the citizens of Kuat."

"That sounds like quite a meeting, I'm sorry to have missed it," said Sascha sarcastically. Then more seriously, he said, "So, what's next for us? I imagine the Senator won't leave Kuat in this time of crisis and yet it seems like she was packing her things to leave."

Luminara sighed again, "Yes, we are relocating yet again, and Onara Kuat has barred her from using any of the Kuat family lands so we'll be joining up with…"

"…the KSF," he closed his eyes, "Are you sure we can't just kidnap Itoma Kuat and bring her back to Coruscant, Master Luminara?"

The Miralian surprised him by appearing to take his lighthearted suggestion seriously, "I don't think we need to resort to such extremes right now, Sascha, but I do think we should seriously consider planning for such an eventuality."

Sascha stared at Luminara, mouth agape, "You're serious!"

Luminara met his incredulous stare blithely, "I am. Our mission was to protect the Senator, at some point we may have to consider that she is a threat to herself and potentially to others if she remains on Kuat. I don't think we've reached that point yet, but we may, and I'd like to be prepared for it. As for right now Padawan, you look like you are in dire need of some rest, so go and claim some while you can, I'll coordinate with the Senator where we are heading to next."

He nodded at his dismissal, and tried to rest as much he could. Unfortunately, as had become the trend on this mission, his sleep was interrupted when he, Luminara and the Senator relocated later that day to a Kuati Security Force military base located on the outskirts of Kuat City.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Tyra Harker brushed some of the hair that had fallen into her eyes away from her face. She was with Master Nal'ma waiting for the Judicials to report that all the expected dissident leaders had arrived at the meeting place, a nondescript warehouse in the suburbs of Kuat City. The last communication from the scouts had indicated that they were just waiting for two more Kuatis to arrive.

Tyra closed her eyes to control the adrenaline she felt rushing into her body, preparing herself for the action that was surely to come. Even after a couple of years as a Padawan, the thrill of going into a potentially dangerous situation still caused her nerves to jangle a little. She always felt self-conscious about that weakness, as if she should have better control over her body, but finding calm had never been one of her strong points.

A part of her wished that Sascha was here with her. The way things were going on this mission and the way that the two Jedi Knights were bickering with each other, she had reason to doubt that she'd even see Sascha again on Kuat. Yet, she took heart that she had been able to see with her own eyes that Sascha was adapting very well to his new role as a Padawan. Strong in the Force or not, Sascha Whitestar was going to be a great Jedi, she just knew.

Tyra turned her attention towards her Master, who was just completing the briefing of the support that they had brought with them. Teff addressed the eight Republic Judicials that were accompanying them, their white and blue body armor gave them a very distinctive appearance. To Tyra they looked a little too much like shock trooper made for war, instead of the police officers that they were, but she wouldn't begrudge anyone who wanted to wear the best body armor available, even if it didn't conjure the most comforting of visages.

"Your task is simple," said Teff. "You will wait at the staging area for our signal. If I give you signal Alpha, you will proceed like you are entering a hostile environment, shooting with weapons on stun only. If I give you signal Brentaal, you will proceed in the role of a police officer, arresting all of the people inside that building. Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir!" chorused the men.

Teff nodded approvingly, "Then I will see you inside, gentlemen."

The commander, an attractive young man with long golden hair that was only partially concealed by his helmet, led the Judicial forces out of the room and to their staging point, leaving only her and Teff in this room.

Teff walked over slowly to her side, a stern expression on her face, "I don't suppose that I need to give you any instructions."

Tyra matched Teff's expression, "No, Master."

The Twi'lek nodded, "Good. I will meditate while you monitor the transmissions from our scouts." Teff, as usual didn't wait for her to respond, he simply found a spot in the middle of the floor and sat in a traditional meditative pose.

When she had been a younger Padawan, her Master's odd propensity to meditate just before going into action had unnerved her, now she simply accepted it. It didn't make it any easier for her though, because now she was just alone with her thoughts, which were now, of course, filling her head with the multitude of ways that this upcoming foray could go wrong.

Clenching her fists against the invisible tide of insecurity, she reminded her subconscious that Sascha and her Master had both thought that this was the best course of action. Sascha's endorsement was particularly comforting. While Master Nal'ma was more known for his maverick ways, her best friend had always had a strong moral compass. In ethics class he'd always been the student that her teachers had pointed to as someone that had a true grasp of what it meant to be a moral Jedi.

Then, she felt herself frowning. It hadn't been Sascha's own opinion he had been voicing back at the meeting, had it? It had been the opinion of the dissident that he had met in Kuat City, and that Sascha had merely parroted. A sudden feeling of doubt seemed to settle into her stomach.

"You doubt our course of action," said Teff, who had somehow slipped out of his meditation and over to her side without her noticing. "Purpose must come before feelings, apprentice."

She tried to project a sense of confidence that she didn't really feel, "I don't feel an emotion, Master. I'm just wondering if our choice is the correct one."

"Have you changed your mind about what we are doing?" asked her Master.

"Not as sure as I was an hour ago," she admitted.

Teff sighed, "What have I done to lose your faith in me, Tyra?"

"Nothing, Master Nal'ma," she replied, bowing her head obsequiously.

Teff placed a firm hand on her shoulder, "We are doing the right thing, apprentice. We Jedi must be proactive in solving our problems. If all we did was react to the circumstances around us, we'd never accomplish anything, we'd merely be putting out the fires that others had started."

"I understand, Master," she replied, subtly rolling her shoulders to detach Teff's hand from her shoulder.

The Twi'lek had started walking away from her when Teff's comlink buzzed. Tyra knew it could only mean one thing - it was time for action.

A few minutes later, the two Jedi exited their impromptu staging area and went into the midday sun of Kuat. The warehouse that the meeting was taking place was not far away, only a couple of meters, and there did not appear to be anyone standing guard.

Teff did not pause at the door to the warehouse, he simply used the Force to find the unlocking mechanism on the mechanical door and simply walked through the now open door. Tyra quickly followed her Master, taking up a position that would protect his flank from any unforeseen ambushes. The Twi'lek didn't waste any time and walked towards the group beings that were milling around a large, oval table. Tyra estimated that there were twenty dissidents in the room, they were mostly human, but she saw a Bith and a Gand conversing as well.

Finally, the group of dissidents noticed that there were two more attendees than were invited, "What the…" someone shouted, pointing dramatically at the two Jedi.

Teff ignited his blue-bladed lightsaber, "Put down your weapons and no one will be harmed," he said, using the Force to project his voice confidently throughout the cavernous warehouse.

"Jedi?!" said a couple of the dissidents in loud, unbelieving voices. No one had yet moved to use any of the weapons that were clearly visible on a couple of the dissidents. But no one had moved to put down any of those weapons either. Tyra stayed alert, keeping her lightsaber unlit, but at the ready.

Teff marched forward slowly, "By the authority of Republic law EX-seventeen-B, I am arresting you without a warrant for a maximum time of seven days."

One man stepped towards the Jedi, putting the blaster that had been on his belt slowly on the ground, "Arrest without a warrant? Are you sure that you have the right people, Master Jedi?"

The Twi'lek Jedi Knight nodded confidently, "You are Ciris Godon, leader of the KFK."

Ciris held his hands out, a look of disbelief still on his face, "That's me all right."

"All of you sit down and place any weapons you may have on the floor," commanded Teff.

The dissidents looked at each other and quickly came to the sensible choice, dropping any weapons they may have had on the ground and sat in small groups, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Teff hit a button on his wrist comlink, "Code Brentaal. No resistance." The Judicial troops that had been waiting for the signal just outside the warehouse came hustling through the doorway, in their hands were stun batons and stuncuffs.

Tyra sensed that one of the dissidents was not ready to give up the fight so easily. She saw that one young man was trying to slowly sneak to the side of the room. Seeing that her Master was in a fierce debate with one dissident about the legality of the arrest, she decided that she'd deal with the young man, who she identified as Keol Mast, probably one of the more extreme dissidents on Kuat.

When Keol saw her approach he sneered at her, "They sent some little girl to arrest me?"

"That's right," Tyra agreed, "Hands where I can see them." Tyra put her lightsaber back on her belt and withdrew the stuncuffs that had been on the back of her belt, holding them out lightly.

Keol's aggressive body posture seemed to dissipate all at once, and Tyra moved to put the stuncuffs on the Kuati. As she did though, Keol lunged at her, his right hand holding a sharp, metallic knife that she hadn't seen.

Tyra twisted quickly, and was fortunate to have the knife slide just wide of her face, though the point of the knife did catch a bit of her chin as she dodged. Dropping the stuncuffs and reacting on instinct, Tyra clenched her fist and drove it into Keol's jaw. Her fist connected and the man dropped like a sack of hydropanners. The knife that he had been wielding skittered out of his hand. Now on the ground, Keol's eyes glazed over for a second and remained unfocused, and Tyra thought that he might collapse into unconsciousness, which would have been odd, she certainly hadn't hit him that hard.

"Anyone else want to try to take on this little girl?" she asked the room, while testing to see how bad her cut was. It wasn't bad, she quickly ascertained, though she'd have to put on a bacta patch on the cut if she didn't want a scar.

To her surprise, several of the dissident leaders, their wrists now bound with stuncuffs, stomped their feet on the ground in approval of her actions. One dissident, an older woman came close to her, leaned over and smiled, "You don't know how many times I wanted to do that to him." The woman spat in the direction of the slowly recovering man, "Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say."

"Thanks…I think," Tyra replied.

The older woman smiled at her, "You are still doing the wrong thing, sweetie. You are fighting on the wrong side. You can't trust the Kuat family. They'll sell you and your Master here if they see a profit in it."

Tyra's mouth worked but she couldn't find a proper reply, so she merely watched as the manacled dissidents were led, single file, out of the warehouse and into the waiting Judicial speeder. That speeder would take them to a secure compound in another city, where they would be interrogated and then held for a short period. What amazed her was that outside of Keol, none of these supposedly dangerous dissident leaders had raised a finger against them.

Somehow, Tyra Harker didn't think that she had done much good for Kuat today.


	41. Like a Devaronian Fiddle

Sascha had only ever been inside two military bases in his short time as a Padawan, but he was beginning to feel like they were all alike, whether they were on Balmorra or Kuat.

Like Point Harst, where he had briefly stayed on Balmorra, the Kuati base that he was currently inside which was named Fort Harwood, was a generic looking building. If not for the soldiers patrolling outside, it could have easily passed for a squat office building. He figured with Kuat not being a particularly militaristic planet, despite its shipbuilding capabilities, that the Kuatis did not want to their military bases to look out of sync with the rest of the buildings on the planet.

He didn't have much time to explore the base, nor did he see much need to. At the current moment he was sharing a room with the very irritated Senator Kuat. Itoma was currently watching a news broadcast with growing displeasure. The lead story of the broadcast, as expected, were the protests that had erupted across the planet. To everyone's relief, the protests had continued to be remarkably peaceful, there had been no violence and it looked as though the storm would pass over for the most part.

However, as Sascha continued to watch the report, he was becoming aware that the broadcast was telling part of the story but not all of it. The protesters were always referred to in vaguely negative terms and were never interviewed or allowed to state their grievances. In contrast, the broadcast devoted an entire segment to an interview with a General in the KSF, as he talked about how safe the protests were and how the protesters were up in arms over 'trivial' matters. It seemed as though the news report itself had been scripted by a Kuati aristocrat and simply allowed to air as if it was a holodrama, not a news report. The young Jedi was aware that newscasts often had a built-in bias, but he wasn't expecting it to be this blatant.

"You look tired, Sascha," commented Itoma without her eyes moving off the holoprojector.

"Your powers of observation continue to shock me, Senator," Sascha replied sarcastically. To be honest, he was amazed that Itoma had actually cared to notice him at all.

Itoma turned and looked at him, "You may be a Jedi, Sascha, but your body language is still human, and I have had many years of experience in reading body language. I also have a vested interest in making sure those that protect me are in good shape. And you, dare I say, are not in good shape."

"I am tired," he admitted, "I haven't slept well in days…and I don't even know what day of the week it is anymore."

Itoma's expression turned almost maternal, "I've treated you Jedi terribly haven't I? I asked for protection to take a short trip to Kuat and now…we have all of this. You, Padawan Sascha Whitestar, have saved my life on two separate occasions, but I keep treating you like you are a servant…it is shameful…I'm ashamed of how I've acted." Itoma nodded slowly to herself, "Therefore, I don't think I'll be staying on Kuat much longer, I've worn out my welcome with the Ten families, and even if there will be negotiations between these dissidents and the Ten families, the negotiations will not involve me. I think it is time for me to return to the Senate. "

"I think that…is wise, Senator Kuat," he replied. The thought of the mission potentially being over was music to his ears. While the mystery of who was behind the attacks on the Senator would continue, as soon as they returned to Coruscant, he believed that he would be taken off the mission. He was tired, and he was ready for this whole thing to be over, even if it came to an inconclusive conclusion.

Sascha was just about to retreat to a quiet corner of the room when Itoma spoke up, "You know your friend Tyra has feelings for you," she said in an offhand manner.

"What!"

Itoma shrugged nonchalantly, "As I said, I am good at reading body language, and it seems obvious to me that she sees you as more than just a friend."

Sascha walked towards the Senator, hands held in front of him, palms up, "I think you misunderstand, Senator. I had feelings for her, not the other way around."

"I understand that, Padawan," Itoma said gently. "But watching you two interact, it is clear to me that Tyra takes great pleasure in being able to be around you, and specifically, she enjoying being in close contact with you."

"She's just being comforting," he replied. "We practiced grappling holds together so many times as younglings that we have always been comfortable with physical contact." Sascha blushed, remembering that when he'd had his crush on Tyra, their sparring sessions had become weird and confusing. Looking back on it, he'd been totally awkward around Tyra, hardly like himself at all.

Itoma nodded, "Even if I believed that, which I don't, the way she sneaks glances at you when she doesn't think you are looking is certainly indicative of Tyra having some romantic interest in you."

"I don't believe you," Sascha said in disbelief, as his hands fell to his sides.

"Is it really that hard to think that Tyra could be fond of you? You two are obviously very compatible," opined Itoma.

Was it possible that Tyra…saw him in that way? No, Sascha decided quickly, this was some trick or game or ploy being played by the Senator. Tyra was his friend. She had always been his friend. Hoping that she could ever be more than that was just…stupid.

Whatever was happening, he had put up with this conversation long enough. He straightened his shoulders, "Senator Kuat, this conversation makes me uncomfortable. Thus, I will not continue it." He pivoted smartly on his heel and walked back towards the corner of the room. He consequently decided to act as if Itoma didn't exist and ignored a couple of her apologies and further attempts to start a conversation. It certainly wasn't polite, but Sascha didn't really care.

More than an hour later, Sascha heard a soft knock on the door. He made sure that his lightsaber was still on his belt, and he slid the door open part of the way. Seeing that it was only a young looking Lieutenant on the other side, he opened the door fully. "Can I help you?" Sascha asked.

The Lieutenant saluted Sascha crisply, and said, "Message from Commander Gracke, he thought the Senator would like to see this."

The Senator took notice and waved the Lieutenant into the room. The Lieutenant inserted a datachip into the holoprojector, before turning and leaving the room without saying another word. The holoprojector whirred, reading the datachip, before projecting the visage of someone that Sascha knew well – Gantar Clavis.

Gantar was speaking in front of a large and admiring crowd, it seemed obvious to Sascha he was speaking at one of the protests that were still occurring across the planet. Yet, instead of the almost professorial manners that Gantar had displayed when he had met with him, Gantar had transformed himself into a fiery orator, his eyes burning with passion, his every gesture speaking to his conviction.

"People of Kuat! I am heartened to see many of you out here tonight protesting peacefully, using our rights as Kuatis. But, as you know, we are out here not because of the rights that we have, but because of the rights that we do not have!" A cheer from the crowd stopped Gantar from continuing. Gantar waited for silence again, "There are those that say that because the aristocrats provide us wealth, that we should be content in our place. I say to those people, WE are the ones that have provided the wealth. Without us, Kuat would not have skilled workers, engineers or technicians. Without us, their precious Drive Yards cannot function, yet we do not ask for an undue amount of compensation. We are happy that our bosses become rich, because it reflects well on the workers of Kuat. All we are asking for is the rights that most citizens in the Republic have. That is what our compensation should be. That is what we are owed. That is what we want! That is what we will get! And we won't leave until we get it!" The crowd roared at the end of Gantar's speech, and the recording from the datachip finished.

"Even without being broadcast on the Holonet there are ways to get a message out it seems," said Itoma Kuat in a somewhat admiring tone. "The dissidents have always lacked a leader, someone bold enough to stand up and speak for all of them, I wonder if this Gantar Clavis may become that leader," she mused.

Sascha was glad that Itoma didn't seem to be paying him much attention at the moment, because he was sure that he had the galaxy's worst sabaac face on.  
****************************************************************************************************************  
"You have to admit that Gantar played us brilliantly," said Teff Nal'ma grudgingly. The four Jedi had convened together shortly after Tyra and Teff returned from arresting the majority of the dissident leaders on Kuat. A couple of them had apparently chosen to fight the Jedi rather than be arrested, Tyra had a small bacta patch on her chin, the result of a dissident that had chosen to fight Tyra instead of being arrested. Sascha could only imagine that the dissident who made that comment ended up regretting that choice.

Teff continued, "Apparently Gantar set up the meeting of the dissidents himself, then turned around and gave us the information for the meeting. In one swift step, he eliminated the heads of ninety-five percent of the dissident groups, and then he released that speech, now there isn't anyone who can stop him from claiming the title of unofficial leader of all the protest movements. Quite genius, really."

Sascha had been downcast since he'd seen the transmission from Gantar, "I'm sorry Masters…this is my fault...I couldn't see that I was being deceived."

Luminara placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, "He deceived all of us, Sascha, you were merely the messenger."

"Plus, what he told you was correct, we did find the dissident leaders at the spot he indicated," Tyra tossed her ponytail nervously, "And I guess some of those dissidents may better off staying in a jail cell for a week, rather than being able to incite protesters. In that way you weren't deceived at all. We merely failed to account for how he could take advantage of the situation he created."

The four Jedi each looked chagrined at how easily they had been manipulated, however Luminara was intent on not letting them dwell on it for long, "The past is the past, we must concentrate on the days ahead. Sascha, do you think you could get in touch with Gantar Clavis?"

"I don't have any contact information for him, and even if I did manage to find him, I'm not sure why he would agree to talk to me anyway. It seemed like he got all he wanted from me," replied Sascha as he tried and failed to keep the bitterness from his voice.

The Jedi were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door from Itoma Kuat. Sascha opened the door for her and she addressed the Jedi, "Sorry to intrude, Master Jedi, but I didn't want to be accused of spying," she said, shooting a significant glance at the two Padawans. "But I think you will want to see this."

"More good news I assume," muttered Teff, lekku twitching in agitation.

Itoma cued up a video using the room's holoprojector. Itoma's video showed a crowd of unruly protestors overwhelming a squad of KSF security forces, before rushing into what he recognized as one of Kuat's most affluent shopping centres. Once inside, the looting began in earnest, with people grabbing clothes, holoprojectors and anything else they could easily carry. The KSF and building security guards decided almost at once that discretion was the better part of valour and beat a hasty retreat. Sascha even saw one or two security guards joining in on the looting, which he would have found amusing if the situation had not been so serious.

Luminara shook her head, "This is terrible, obviously, but hardly something that we needed to be informed of, Senator Kuat."

Itoma grimaced, "No, you don't understand Master Jedi, there are similar scenes…and worse happening across the planet right now. Whole sections of our communications grid are down, and no one seems to know how that occurred. Sabotage, perhaps. The KSF are a bit of a mess right now no one in their hierarchy seems to know what to do. I counselled that they should simply withdraw from any areas that threaten to turn violent and reassess the situation in the morning, when we can more fully understand what is going on."

"That seems like a wise course of action, for now," said Luminara with a nod. "If I may ask Senator, how would you read the situation right now?"

Itoma paused, considering, "It looks like an escalation of the protests. I suppose that the Ten Families doing absolutely nothing has made the citizens of Kuat more apt to escalate their protests. But, as I said we do not have the full picture at the moment, so I do not wish to speculate, though this certainly seems like it might indicate a change in the mood planet wide."

Teff turned quickly to face Sascha, "Padawan, I thought you said that Gantar was intent on having a peaceful revolution?"

"He said a lot of things, Master Nal'ma, who knows how much of it is true," he responded.

"Wait…you've met this Gantar Clavis?" asked Itoma, an incredulous expression on her face. Luminara glared daggers at the Twi'lek for having spoken so carelessly in front of the Senator. At least this time, Teff seemed to acknowledge that he'd made a mistake, shaking his head in disgust at himself.

He looked to Luminara for approval, and upon receiving a brief nod, he then turned to address the Senator, "Yes, I've met Gantar Clavis, but no, I didn't think he was capable of being behind any of this…I was wrong, clearly."

Itoma looked at the Jedi, as if expecting that someone was going to speak, or apologize, but no one did. Finally, Senator Kuat spoke into the silence, "I suppose the question I must ask is what you are planning to do now, since unlike the Ten families, the Jedi are not opposed to action."

There was another long pause, then Teff stepped forward, "I do not know what Master Luminara has planned, but I intend to travel to these cities that are in distress and do what I can to keep the peace, and protect those that need protecting. This has always been the primary task of the Jedi."

Luminara pressed her lips together tightly, "That is all well and good, but this is a situation that needs a lasting solution. Perhaps we can talk to the Ten families again, they may be more interested in reaching a compromise now that the situation has escalated." Luminara turned, "Also, Senator Kuat, I believe it might be a good time to position yourself as the voice of reason, release another statement asking for calm, ask to meet with this Gantar Clavis, anything to placate the masses."

The Senator nodded, "Onara Kuat no longer answers my calls, so I'm not sure if I can be assistance in that way, but if you think that if I make a statement that it will calm down the situation, than I will begin crafting it right away, Master Jedi."

"I think that could prove to be quite helpful, thank you Senator," replied Luminara.

"If you need my assistance in any way, no matter the hour, please let me know," said Itoma.

After Luminara said that she would, the Senator exited the room and the Jedi were again left alone to contemplate their next move.

Tyra voiced her opinion, "Why don't we contact the Jedi Council? This mission has obviously changed from its relatively simple parameters, and we could certainly use their influence and their wisdom. Plus, I know there are other Jedi on Kuat, I feel them flicker in the Force every now and then, but we have no way to contact them – we should be trying to coordinate our efforts."

"Every time I talk to the Council, I've asked to be able to talk to the other Jedi stationed here, but they've not listened yet, I don't see why it would be different now." Luminara balled her fists in frustration, "They are adamant that our missions remain separate and the Jedi teams remain compartmentalized. They must know something that we do not." The Miralian turned to face Teff, "Perhaps we should contact them together, Master Nal'ma."

The Twi'lek snorted in derision, "You must think more highly of me than the Council does. If they won't reveal information to you, someone who is a favourite of the Council, they certainly won't be persuaded if you contact them with my support. I'm not sure if you know this, but the Council tolerates me more than they trust me. Plus, they'll just ream me out for failing to stick to the strict parameters of my mission, as if I'm a droid that needs to be given detailed directions in order to function. I say unless something changes, we are on our own."

Luminara nodded, "I guess that means we need to think about how we want to proceed then."

Teff paced around the room, "I was thinking that in the morning that I will take Padawan Harker and we will go around and try to bring peace to these area that are under duress. You and Sascha can look for a diplomatic solution and protect the Senator." Teff looked at the Miralian in a placating, almost friendly manner…clearly something had changed with the Twi'lek, "Does that sound good to you, Master Luminara?

"I'd like to suggest something slightly different, Master Nal'ma," said Luminara. "You and I both go where we are needed tomorrow, between the two of us we can cover twice as much ground, and be twice as effective. The Padawans can stay here and guard the Senator, or if we need one of them, they can join us."

Tyra looked unhappy, "Do we really need two Jedi to protect Senator Kuat? I'd prefer to help Master Nal'ma."

Sascha nudged his friend in the side, "Come on, it won't be that bad."

It looked like Tyra wanted to continue to argue, but she closed her mouth and pressed her lips into a tight line. Teff continued, "What about a diplomatic solution? Should we not be pursuing that as well?"

"A diplomatic solution can only come when order is restored across the planet," was the reply from Luminara.

"Finally, Master Unduli, we see eye to eye on something," said Teff decisively.


	42. Traps Sprung

The next morning came quicker than Sascha could have thought possible. The Jedi had spent the rest of the previous night coordinating with the KSF, collecting information and trying to get a better picture of the situation across the planet. It was hard work, mostly because the communications grid on Kuat seemed to fade in and fade out with some regularity, so information was hard to come by.

Sascha probably should have chosen to grab some sleep rather than staying up all night, but for once he was actually enjoying himself in this mission. The situation on Kuat was horrible of course. There were scattered reports of looting and rioting as well as stories of aristocrats and their children being forced to flee from their homes as mobs attacked their homesteads, which was hardly the stuff of children's fairy tales. But the part of him that loved research was delighted to be able to work in such a fast-moving scenario. The art of research, of getting the information, distilling it into something readable, then rechecking, confirming and updating your records was something Sascha could do in his sleep.

Throughout the night, Tyra acted as his loyal Akk dog, badgering KSF officers for better information, tracking down rumours and generally making sure his eyes never had to leave his datapad. It was a familiar set up for the two Padawans, who had worked together in group projects before as younglings. Tyra had always been the de-facto leader of Dragon clan, but she was more than willing to let the other members of the clan take the lead when the situation called for it. Her bulldog-esque tenacity, unwavering intensity and ability to think outside the box made her an equally competent subordinate as well.

By the morning, Sascha had compiled an exhaustive list of incidents that had occurred during the night on Kuat. Bleary eyed, he handed Luminara and Teff his findings, complete with cities and towns that could probably use a Jedi to help calm down the situation, along with a list of contact information for the local police forces. It was in some was a masterful piece of work, but Sascha knew that in a few hours in the information could be out of date and useless. Such was the way things were in a fast moving situation such as this.

Both Jedi Knights thanked him generously for his efforts and headed out, promising to remain in contact with the Padawans and to call them if they needed help. Afterwards, Sascha was able to grab a quick rest.

When he woke, he sought out Tyra and Senator Kuat. The Senator was hard at work crafting her address to the Kuati people, so Tyra and Sascha camped outside her office, awaiting any word from their Masters, their eyes glued to the newsfeeds on their datapads. "I'm still not sure how I got suckered into doing so much guard duty on this mission," remarked Tyra bitterly.

Sascha laughed lightly, Jedi Padawan Tyra Harker was made to do many things, but sit idly as a guard was not one of them.

Finally, they were summoned inside by Senator Kuat, and the two Padawans entered what had become the de facto office for the Senator in Fort Harwood. The large room had been mostly empty until the Senator had claimed it. Itoma had just moved a desk and a chair in from somewhere on site, and gotten right to work. There were no other furnishings of any kind in the room, in stark contrast to some of the other rooms that Itoma Kuat had been in over the past week. Still clearly working on something, the Senator barely glanced upward when the Padawans entered, "Ah, you're here, Jedi. I don't have any aides or family members left I can send this to, so you'll have to be the ones that double-check my address to Kuat. Please give me your honest opinions."

"We will, Senator Kuat," promised Tyra.

Sascha thought that the Senator would be reading the statement herself, but apparently, she had pre-recorded her statement. Itoma pressed a button on her datapad, and Sascha heard the beginnings of the speech emerge from the flat, metallic, device. The Senator herself apologized and took a call on her comlink while her voice droned on.

He was not much of a judge of speeches, in his limited experience, he judged this one to be...quite boring. Itoma made plenty of references to Kuat's past, which he did not truly understand, and he supposed that he was just missing the context of the speech. Yet the speech contained no fiery rhetoric and absolutely nothing at all to remember it by. The Padawans shared a brief look, neither really knew what to make of the speech and neither had any idea how to tell the Senator that the speech was…terrible.

There had been something else too. For the last few minutes, he had felt a growing disturbance in the Force. He was a more than a little unnerved by this development. Surreptitiously, he looked around the room, searching for the source of the disturbance.

Tyra leaned over and spoke quietly, "Do you feel a disturbance in the Force?"

Sascha nodded.

Tyra's brow furrowed for a second while she concentrated, "I can't tell where it is coming from."

Sascha checked that his lightsaber was on his belt in a nervous gesture. He had learned that while his instincts were wrong too often for his liking, Tyra's were very rarely incorrect. Those instincts were proven correct a short while later.

"Jedi!" said an amplified male voice from outside of the room, "This is KSF Commander Blatskis. We know you've taken the Senator! You have five minutes to surrender. Toss out your lightsabers and come peacefully and you will not be harmed. Do not attempt to escape, you are surrounded and we are authorized to use deadly force." The voice seemed to echo around the room, leaving behind only a stunned silence.

"So that's what that feeling was," Tyra muttered. Then she ignited her lightsaber and pointed it directly at the still seated Senator Kuat.

Sascha grabbed Tyra's right arm, "Tyra! What do you think you are doing!"

He was frantic. Not only was Tyra now threatening the person he was on a mission to protect, but there was obviously some sort of misunderstanding going on between the KSF and the Jedi. He was halfway to the door to explain that there had been some sort of mistake and that he and Tyra had most certainly not 'taken' the Senator, when he looked at Itoma Kuat's reaction to having a lightsaber pointed at her.

He could think of a half dozen completely logical responses to someone shoving a weapon in their face, being angry, fearful, diving for cover, or begging for mercy, but what Senator Kuat was doing was not at all logical to the young Padawan.

She was smiling.

"Ah, he sees the reality now," said Itoma. "It seems, like always, that the females are the ones with intelligence in the Jedi Order." Senator Kuat's voice had lost all of its friendliness; in its place was derision, menace and more than a bit of condescension.

"What did you do?" asked Tyra, who continued to keep her lightsaber pointed directly at the Senator. "What did you tell the KSF? Quickly before my hand slips and I start lopping off appendages. Tell me!" Sascha was appalled by Tyra's threat, but was still frozen, unable to understand what was happening.

"Tell you? I'll show you," said Itoma, her voice very smug for someone staring down the business end of a lightsaber. Itoma cued up a video on her datapad and tilted the display so that both Padawans could see it.

The datapad's screen showed Tyra, Sascha and Itoma Kuat in a nondescript room. Sascha frowned, he didn't recognize the room at all. The video continued, showing the two Padawans as they moved purposefully towards the Senator and ignited their lightsabers. In a smooth motion, they pointed them directly at Itoma, who looked stunned.

Sascha's mouth fell open. What in the Force was happening?

On the video screen he saw himself pull out a comlink and speak into it, the recording apparently picked up this conversation, "Yes, Onara. Yes, we have her. We await your landspeeder."

"But why?" came the plea from the recorded Senator Kuat.

"Both the Jedi Council and Onara Kuat feel it better if you were…removed for the time being," said Tyra with her customary authority. Then with a simple but forceful blow to the temple, she knocked the Senator unconscious.

The screen went black.

Senator Kuat looked pleased at the stunned reactions of the Jedi Padawans, "That video went out across the Holonet while you were watching my 'speech.'"

"That video...It's fake," Sascha said, stating the obvious as his mind continued to reel.

"Yes," Itoma agreed, "And a quite expensive one at that, though judging by your reaction it is already worth the money. I recorded enough of your voices over the past few days that the techs that made this recording could make you say whatever I wanted. Recreating the lightsabers was the costly part, modelling the lighting that they cast is apparently quite difficult."

He and Tyra looked at each other and made a decision; they both keyed their comlinks and tried to call their respective Masters. Only static answered them.

"I took the liberty of jamming all comlink transmissions when you entered the room," said Itoma smugly. "There is no one that you can call for help."

The two Jedi shrugged and activated their Jedi Beacon Transceiver, setting their code to distress. The Beacon Transceiver was a simple device, but it was set to broadcast on a frequency that was only available to Jedi. It could be jammed, theoretically, but to his knowledge, no one had yet been able to. The device was limited in the way that it communicated, there was only a few settings it could be modulated to, the 'distress' signal sent out a code to every other Beacon Transceiver within range that they needed assistance, immediately. It wasn't as good as being able to talk to Luminara or Teff, but it at least let them know they were in trouble.

Itoma eyed their Beacon Transcievers warily, "Even if you get a signal through to your Masters, I think they'll be quite busy dealing with the riots that are surely enveloping the planet after people get to see that video. In fact, they will be lucky if the protesters don't take matters into their own hands. The Jedi are so unpopular these days," Itoma Kuat said conversationally, "And I happen to be quite popular."

"Why Senator? Why are you doing this?" he asked, his mind still trying to make sense of these developments.

"For Kuat of course. For democracy." The Senator brought her hands together, "I realized some time ago that democracy was never going to come to Kuat if things progressed as they were. So I decided to give it a little push. This is just the last little nudge Kuat needs to move into open rebellion. With the dissidents under capable leadership and the beloved Senator of Kuat being cruelly repressed by both the Jedi Order and Onara Kuat, there should be riots across the planet. Now the Ten families will have no other choice but to concede that their time of ruling by their right of birth is over. When the KSF rescues me in a matter of moments, I will become a hero to Kuatis everywhere, and I will ensure that this planet becomes democratic."

"You let people die for you! People are still out there dying for you! Did they all agree to die for your little cause?" asked Tyra, anger clearly dancing in her eyes.

Sascha reached out in the Force to try to calm his friend. Recognizing his touch, Tyra friend calmed down slightly, but she was still more than a little upset at Senator Kuat.

Itoma shrugged, "Some pawns were sacrificed, that's true, but that is often the case when great events happen. It just so happens that you are two of the pawns that are going to be sacrificed. Nothing personal, it's just how things worked out. You can think of it as the will of the Force if you wish."

"Lady, you don't know anything about the Jedi or the Force," said Tyra, still clearly capable of sarcasm. Tyra disengaged her lightsaber and replaced it back on her belt.

Sascha turned to face Tyra, "We could still surrender to the KSF," he pointed out, "I'm sure we could convince them that we've actually done nothing wrong."

Tyra shook her head, "She's clearly prepared for this eventuality, do you really think she'd just let us surrender? I'll bet she handpicked the commander of the base, someone who will take her orders without question. No, we can't surrender, they'll just kill us anyway."

By the way that Itoma nodded along with Tyra's statement, Sascha determined that his friend was correct. It wasn't exactly a cheerful thought, but he was beginning to warm up to the tactical challenge of the situation, "We actually have some advantages too, they can't use gas against us because the Senator is here. Come to think of it, they won't be able to use blasters either, lest they hit the Senator, so their weapons will have to be set on stun. And best of all…there is only one entrance to the room. We can probably hold out for hours."

Tyra nodded slowly, "Okay, I'll delay them, get whatever information you can out of our esteemed Senator."

Tyra went to the door and half opened it, taking care to remain behind cover. "We've taken the Senator," she shouted. "Our demands are simple, ten million credits wired into a bank account of our choice and a ship fueled and waiting for us outside the base. Once our demands are met we'll all go to the ship and once we are clear for hyperspace, we'll eject the Senator in an escape pod." She then turned back to Sascha, a wicked grin on her face "Well, that should give them something to think about."

Senator Kuat was not as confident as she had been a few minutes ago. The fact that the two Jedi didn't seemed to be cowed by the knowledge by they were surrounded in a single room in a military base with no help coming must have been slightly unnerving. No plan survives contact with the enemy, Sascha thought, trying to remember where that quote was coming from.

"You're still dead, you know," Itoma said to him, "You are just delaying the inevitable. If you surrender, I'll promise you a quick death. You can even die holding hands, if you wish." Sascha rolled his eyes dramatically at that suggestion. Itoma continued, "This way one of you will have to watch the other die first and then the other will die knowing that they couldn't save the other."

"There is no death Senator, there is the Force," replied the two Padawans in unison.

"I always kinda wanted to die fighting," admitted Tyra.

"Well, I wanted to die at the age of a hundred and five, surrounded by friends but we don't always get what we want," replied Sascha continuing the good humor between the two best friends, certainly it felt better than thinking about their potential deaths. He turned his attention back to Itoma, "Anyway, what I really want to know is how you planned this whole thing? Why did you even bring in the Jedi?"

Itoma recovered her previously haughty tone, not being intimidated by the display of confidence from the young Jedi. "Bringing in the Jedi was key. You Jedi think so highly of yourselves just because you can use the Force, but you are so predictable; you never saw how you were being used until the very end. Judicials? Senate Guards? They ask questions, they are careful. The Jedi on the other hand are so arrogant that as long as they think the Force is leading them somewhere, they'll let you do pretty much anything." Itoma gave him a snide look, "I still can't believe that Luminara let me attend the Tevanteer Banquet, I mean she had to know that what happened was likely to occur, but she let me go anyway. Such arrogance. Having the Jedi involved also gives my actions an air of credence to them, after all, who represents the authority of the Republic more than the Jedi? You've served admirably, but now it's time for you to die."

"Yeah, well don't count us out just yet Itoma," said Sascha sarcastically. "I was more interested in the logistics; you paid off Tu Dronos I assume? My question is how did you get the money?"

"Do you actually think I did nothing in the Senate these past few years? Surely even you can't be that naïve, Sascha. I traded my vote for money and favours, it allowed me to gain a sizable warchest, enough to finance the purchase of Dronos and his little gang."

"And Dronos tracked us…how?" inquired the Padawan.

Itoma rolled her eyes, "I wore a transmitter. Newest model developed on Kuat, basically untraceable, it transmits to a single receiver, which I gave to Dronos."

"Dronos always could have talked, he could have told us who he was working for," Sascha pointed out.

Itoma waved away his objection, "Nonsense, Dronos hated the Jedi, he wouldn't have told you anything, even if you had taken him alive. I still curse his memory, for the small fortune I paid him he should have been able to handle three Jedi."

"But you almost died on Balmorra, those fighters almost shot us down," he said.

Itoma sniffed, "Only because we were on a third rate craft built on a fourth rate planet, piloted by a fifth rate Jedi. If we had taken my ship, a blind bantha could have piloted the ship and we would have been fine. I put my faith in the Jedi that they would keep me safe, and they did, barely. It was almost my undoing."

Sascha refused to be insulted, he knew that his brilliant piloting and his durable ship were the difference between him being here today and being a corpse somewhere in a canyon on Balmorra. "And the Tevanteer Banquet? You hired those gunmen too?"

"Yes. I found a dissident group that was silly enough to want to kill me, just because my name was Kuat, and they thought I wasn't doing enough to bring change to Kuat. I gave them the passes they needed to enter the banquet. Thank you for protecting me during the attack, I came a little closer to death than I had intended." Itoma paused for a moment, "I did regret that so many bystanders were hurt. Yet, those were sacrifices that had to be made. I will honor their memory."

"What about Gantar Clavis?" he asked.

Itoma shrugged nonchalantly, "I've never met the man. I just knew that someone would inevitably step up and claim to be the leader of the dissidents. He played his role adroitly, I must say."

Sascha wasn't entirely sure that he believed Itoma about that last point, but it didn't really matter right now. He looked deeply into the eyes of Itoma Kuat, and spoke in a clear, unwavering voice, "Senator Itoma Kuat of the Galactic Senate, you are under arrest. I hope you know that you're a monster and you are going to spend the rest of your life in a very small cell thinking about what you've done here. Even if we die here today, there is no way the Jedi or the Republic will allow you to get away with this."

Senator Kuat grinned, "I doubt it Padawans. You Jedi make such a big deal about not involving yourselves in the internal affairs of planets, I don't think they are going to change their principals just because a few Jedi died here. No, I intend to live a long and successful life on the newly democratic planet of Kuat," replied Itoma defiantly.

"With you as the Prime Minister, I suppose."

Itoma's smile widened, "Why of course. Prime Minister Itoma Kuat does have a nice ring to it."

"Hey, Sascha, now that you're done sweet talking out prisoner, can you help me out over here?" called Tyra.

The battle had begun.


	43. Opening Stages, Under Siege

Sascha allowed himself the small indulgence of taking a good look at his best friend Tyra Harker, considering this might be the last time he sees her alive. By any traditional standard, Tyra Harker was not a great beauty; she was wiry and short, even shorter than he was. Her brown hair was kept in an unglamorous and practical ponytail, and her Padawan braid dangled down to her shoulder. The beige and browns of her Jedi robes swirled around her as she deflected stun bolts away gracefully with her blue-bladed lightsaber.

If you asked a random sample of citizens to rate Tyra's attractiveness, they'd probably rate her a six out of ten, a slightly above average looking human female. Her physical attractiveness notwithstanding, Sascha deeply admired and respected his close friend. Her intensity was so obvious, even at a distance, that it almost seemed palpable. Tyra was the type of person who refused to back down, refused to be defeated, Sascha knew that she would fight until her last breath. He just hoped that it won't come to that point.

If he is being a hundred percent honest with himself, there is a tiny part of him that regrets that they can never be more than friends, but he has come to grips with their relationship a long time ago. Now it is that relationship, that bond, that gives him strength, gives him hope that despite the odds being stacked against them, that they'll come through it just fine. This is likely to be the stiffest test of their bond they have ever had, but if there is anyone Sascha wants fighting beside him, it's Jedi Padawan Tyra Harker, his best friend.

Sascha left Itoma Kuat to stand near his fellow Padawan. "Glad you could join me," Tyra said as she moved her lightsaber to swat away a stun bolt, sneering contemptuously as she did it.

"Why is the door still open, Tyra?" he asked her, curious.

"Simple tactics," she replied. "I can close the door at any time with the Force, but why reveal what we can do when the current situation works for us? Right now, they can only take potshots at us, and if I get bored or tired of deflecting stun bolts, I can just retreat behind the door. Let's make them come up with a better plan."

Sascha had to admit that Tyra's logic was flawless. "Who is attacking us?" he asked.

Tyra spared a quick second to look at him, "Well, we are on a KSF military base…and the people firing at us are wearing KSF uniforms, I'd say we are up against an entire base worth of Kuati soldiers."

"Oh, so it's going to be easy then," he said sarcastically.

Tyra swatted away another incoming stunbolt with a textbook deflection, before stepping away from the door for a moment, "If you were the opposition commander, what would your next move be?" she asked him.

He closed his eyes and tried to put himself in the mindset of the enemy commander. Whoever was commanding these soldiers likely had significant resources at his command, at least those of this very active military base, but he probably did not have much experience in dealing with Jedi. The commander would almost certainly soon realize that he could not simply engage the two Jedi in a firefight through a single door and hope to have any success. So the commander would likely come to the conclusion that that they'd have to disable or impair he or Tyra before they could expect victory. Yet, considering that the KSF probably couldn't use gas, lest they poison the Senator, they'd probably try something else…

As if responding to his thought process, he saw several black, round, objects roll into their room.

"Ooo, stun grenades, these will be useful," commented a delighted Tyra. Sascha felt her reach out with the Force and quickly deactivate the grenades. He was about to ask how she deactivated them so easily, but she anticipated his question, "I saw stun grenades like these on Nar Bo Sholla, so I know how to activate and deactivate them with the Force…I got enough thrown at me that I could probably do it in my sleep." She laughed, "Boy, those Hutts were mad at Master Nal'ma and I that day."

He managed a snort of amusement before activating his lightsaber, getting ready for the troopers that were likely to follow the grenades.

As the first soldier came through the doorway, Tyra Force pushed him hard into the wall, the soldier hit the wall with an audible crack. The soldier lay motionless on the ground, incapacitated a mere second after entering the room. Sascha met the second soldier into the room, using his lightsaber to sheer through the soldier's blaster rifle. Then he hit that now disarmed soldier with a swift side kick that sent his adversary sprawling back into the rest of the troopers trying to enter through the narrow doorway.

The remainder of the soldiers tried to continue to force their way in, but Tyra and Sascha were up to the challenge, disarming the soldiers and sending them into a quick retreat.

Once it became apparent that the attack was over, Sascha disengaged his lightsaber and took a deep breath. Glancing over at the doorway, he realized that the man that Tyra had Force pushed into the wall had apparently been knocked unconscious. The soldier, his armor coloured in dark greens and greys, lay slumped against the wall, head down, the blaster rifle that he had been carrying rested beside him. "I'm not sure we can take on prisoners, Tyra," he commented.

She grimaced, "I overdid it a bit on that Force push, I didn't mean to hit him that hard. I guess we take his blaster and push him out the door. Let his friends get him some medical attention." Sascha nodded and used the Force to fly the military grade blaster rifle into his outstretched hand. Next, the two Padawans combined their efforts to lift the man carefully from his almost seated position and out into the atrium where he was promptly retrieved by his KSF compatriots.

"Well, at least they probably won't try that again," Tyra said, as she readjusted her ponytail.

"They might," Sascha replied, "Depending on the who is in charge. If whoever is leading the KSF is truly desperate he can keep throwing soldiers through that door, eventually one of them will land a lucky shot on us, and that will…"

"…be bad," Tyra finished his sentence. She paced back and forth, "So this is a wonderful mess we are in. Do you have any good news?"

"Um, we are still alive and the Senator is currently cowering behind her desk like a terrified animal. That's good news right?" he said.

Tyra paused, "I guess I'll take it." Tyra walked towards the desk Itoma was currently crouched behind, "You stay right there, Senator Kuat. I can't wait to put you into stuncuffs, it is going to be glorious." Itoma slunk behind the desk and offered no response.

Sascha noticed a bit of movement from outside and tugged on Tyra's robe to get her attention. "I think they are going to try again. Get ready."

The KSF soldiers tried again to force their way into the room, but he and Tyra were able to stymie them and push them back with relative ease. Two forays attempted, two forays rebuffed.

Regrouping away from the doorway, both Padawans were focusing on calming their breathing, trying not to expend more effort than absolutely necessary. "Whoever their Commander is, he seems to have some brains," said Sascha. "He's just probing us, making sure we can't rest or relax while he prepares another plan of attack."

"What's his plan going to be to get at us?" inquired Tyra.

Sascha scratched his head, "Well, conventional wisdom of fighting a Jedi is that you have to overwhelm them or try to out-skill them. Considering that the KSF probably doesn't have a secret anti-Jedi commando team, they have to overwhelm us…or they could just tire us out," he admitted. "So, I assume they'll look to open up a second front, by blowing up one of the walls and forcing us to divide our attention." He paused and put his hands on his hips, "What I haven't figured out is how they plan to do so without potentially harming the Senator. I think that's what they are trying to discern at the moment. Really, I think we have to realize that the longer we hold out, the greater the amount of risks they'll be willing to take."

Tyra took a quick peek around the door, and pulled her head back quickly as a couple of stun bolts came flying her way. "Maybe they think we are honor bound as Jedi to protect the Senator…and in a way they are right, but if they cave the roof in on our heads, I'm protecting ourselves first and the Senator afterwards." Tyra's declaration had been loud enough that Itoma Kuat clearly heard her. The Senator was still cowering behind the desk that she had somehow managed to push over, and from time to time she would glance up and look at the two Jedi Padawans. It seemed that Senator Kuat did not particularly enjoy being in the middle of an active battle.

His best friend looked at her unlit lightsaber, "Can we move to another room? I'm sure we can cut through these walls with our lightsabers."

Sascha shook his head, "That leaves us worse off because we'd be going into an unknown room and they could use the exit we made in this room to open up another avenue to attack."

Tyra began to pace in frustration, "So we can't leave this room. We're at the mercy of our lovely Kuati hosts when they decide to make the next move, and we don't have any countermeasures besides just beating back their advances. Fantastic."

He forced a look of positivity onto his face, "Well, on the bright side all we need to do is hold out until more Jedi arrive. You said you felt that there were more Jedi on Kuat than just us and our Masters, maybe they are in better position to help us out."

Tyra frowned, concentrating, "I can't get a read on anyone, and anytime I make contact with Master Nal'ma it feels like he's running, if he was coming to our rescue he'd be sending reassurance. I think we're on our own."

That was a lovely thought. No matter how good their current position was, they only had a finite amount of time they could hold out for, eventually the law of averages would catch up with them and one stun bolt would slip through their defences. They needed to be rescued, and sooner rather than later.

Their conversation was rudely interrupted by another KSF attack, this time the soldiers tried to use a smoke grenade to cover their advance. While he applauded the opposition commander for realizing that his previous tactics were not likely to lead to success, using smoke grenades was not going to be the answer either. As a Jedi, Sascha could hold his breath for a very long time, and he didn't necessarily need to see his opponent to be able to hit them either.

Sascha and Tyra waited until the soldiers tried to breach the doorway, and then assaulted them when they tried to enter the room. The two Jedi kept their lightsabers unlit, using the smoke cover to their position. Sascha chose his first target, a soldier with armor that had two yellow bands on the shoulder, which indicated he was a Lieutenant. Upon seeing the man turn in the wrong direction, Sascha leapt and caught the Lieutenant in the chest with a powerful kick. The KSF Lieutenant flew backwards and landed hard somewhere on the ground. Then Sascha simply slunk back into the smoky abyss and chose another target.

It took a minute or so, but as the smoke dissipated, the only two people left standing in the room were the two Jedi Padawans.

"WE CAN DO THIS ALL DAY!" shouted Tyra into the rapidly dispersing smoke, relieving some of her pent up frustration. He smiled wanly as he collected more KSF blasters and stun grenades, the two Jedi were accumulating quite an arsenal of weapons. He wasn't sure if he would ever use them, but it at least made it impossible for the weapons to be used against them.

Sascha walked up to Tyra and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Tyra take a short break, I can guard the door for a bit, try to find if there is a ventilation shaft, or something we could use as a last ditch escape route." Tyra nodded, but at that moment, Itoma Kuat tried to make a dash for freedom.

Showing surprising speed for a middle-aged politician, Itoma attempted to dart past the Jedi, making for the daylight of the door. What Itoma hadn't known was that Tyra was looking for someone to take out some frustration on. Quick like a Nexu, and twice as fierce, Tyra caught the Senator with a perfect, Force enhanced kick that hit Itoma right in the sternum.

The Senator's eyes bulged and she dropped to all fours, chest heaving, searching for the air that had just so recently been located in her lungs.

"That was a mistake, Senator," said Tyra with a delightfully sarcastic sweetness.

Itoma had no response, as she was still searching for breath, but she managed to glare balefully at the Padawan crouched above her. They were a study of contrasts, Tyra the wiry, athletic girl, dressed in humble Jedi robes, sweating slightly from the battle and Itoma, the middle-aged woman, dressed in a custom-fit dress that looked rather expensive.

"Tyra, can you tie the Senator up or something?" he asked. Sascha didn't want the distraction of Itoma Kuat trying to run to freedom while they were trying to fight for their lives.

His best friend glanced around the room, "I dunno," she said, "This place is kinda barren." Tyra patted the Senator condescendingly on the head, "There is a simpler solution though. Say goodnight, Senator Kuat!" Tyra used the hilt of her unlit lightsaber to send the Senator into unconsciousness with a blow that was maybe slightly more forceful than necessary.

"Tyra!"

His friend shrugged, "You wanted to make sure she couldn't escape? Now she can't escape."

Despite himself, he laughed, "I would have just used one of the blasters the KSF have dropped for us instead of bashing her in the head."

Tyra blushed, embarrassed, "I…didn't think of that."

It was always amusing to see the intense Tyra Harker look like an abashed little girl, "It's okay," he said, "I bet that hitting her was therapeutic."

Tyra glanced at him, "It was. I shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did though."

Sascha offered her a weak smile and rubbed her arm softly, "It's okay, I would have done the same." Tyra's moment of weakness passed quickly and she was back to her intense almost immediately, there was simply no time to dwell on the past, their minds had to be focused on the present.

The next KSF foray came soon after the smoke had cleared, this time instead of sending a single squad at them, they sent a platoon of approximately twenty soldiers. Lightsabers blazing, the two Jedi defended the entrance to the room, which resulted in a stalemate, the KSF soldiers couldn't dislodge the Jedi from using the door as cover, and the KSF could not get through the door lest they run into a pair of lightsabers. He and Tyra however, lacked ranged weaponry and unless they got a lucky deflection of a stun bolt, they had no way to move the KSF soldiers, who were now perilously close to the door itself.

"I think it might be time to close the door Tyra!" shouted Sascha over the din of the battle.

"Give me a kriffing second!" replied Tyra, who was busily batting away any stun bolts that came close to her. Retreating to a safe distance, she closed her eyes and reached out with the Force, sliding the door out from its concealed position and bringing it slowly, but inexorably across the entryway. After sliding it fully into place, Sascha felt Tyra reach out for the locking mechanism and upon finding it, she crushed it into an unrecognizable pile of parts, making sure that the heavy door could not be opened remotely.

Tyra looked drained by her exertion, she wiped away a bead of sweat that had appeared on her forehead with the sleeve of her robe. "Well, that will hold them for a little bit," she said. "We really do need a plan 'B' though."

Sascha threw his hands up in frustration, "I don't have one Tyra, we just have to keep fighting until help arrives." He pointed upwards, "There is a ventilation shaft above us that I think we can fit into, but we have to be truly desperate to use it, because we don't know where it leads."

"And we'd have to carry our very unconscious Senator Kuat through the ventilation shaft," she pointed out. "Not exactly easy. Well, I wouldn't call it a good plan, but it's better than having no back up plan," Tyra admitted.

The two Jedi used the brief respite to rest, to try to replenish themselves through the Force, in an attempt to give themselves the stamina they would likely need to survive the next attacks. The KSF seemed intent on not allowing them to rest, as the soldiers assembled a ramming device that started hammering away at the door that Tyra had just closed.

The door was surviving the assault so far, but given the dents they were putting in the door, it was unlikely the door was going to survive the beating for too long.

Losing the door was going to be a problem, but it would still be the same situation as before, which had been chaotic but manageable. However, a different whirring sound caused the two Padawans to break off their meditation and look at each other in alarm.

The KSF were using what sounded like a large machine to drill a hole through a nearby wall.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Tyra muttered. Sascha could do little but nod.


	44. Wounds

Despite the odds clearly worsening against the Jedi, and they were never good to begin with, there was no time for despair, no thoughts of surrender. Without a word shared between the two Padawans, they settled on a plan - when defence is untenable, attack.

The Padawans positioned themselves behind the now badly dented door. Sascha opened himself up to the Force and let Tyra use his strength. After a silent count, together they used the Force and pushed the door forward into the KSF soldiers that were trying to ram down the door. In an ironic twist of events, it was the door that knocked over the ram. Somehow, Sascha didn't think the KSF troopers would find it funny.

The two Jedi had previously been careful to avoid causing anything more than superficial injuries, lightsabers only used defensively or maybe to destroy a weapon, but never anything more than that. A calm, composed, and pragmatic Jedi defence.

As the two Jedi leapt into the stunned KSF soldiers, there was no more room for such caution. Killing a soldier that was merely following his duty was out of the question, but targeting limbs with his lightsaber was now an acceptable option. It was unfortunate to harm another living being, but sometimes self-preservation had to come first for a Jedi. This was one of those times.

Tyra led the foray into the KSF troopers at the door, taking them by surprise as she quickly cleaved two blaster rifles that were being held by Kuati soldiers. As the soldiers looked down in shock at their now useless weapons, the Padawans raced past them and towards their colleagues.

His friend had always had a gift for attacking and acrobatics, Sascha's gifts – if you could call them such, were more geared towards defence. Together they made an excellent pairing, as each could play to their respective strengths.

Tyra continued to blitz the KSF troopers, taking advantage of the many openings that were available to her. He kept beside her, covering her flank from the incoming fire. The KSF troops for their part reacted well, setting their blasters back to their normal setting, from stun. Sascha grimaced as he felt the first laser bolt ping right past his shoulder. He had been hoping that the KSF would not be so damn smart. When a blaster rifle was fired on its 'stun' setting, it fired slower and drained its power packs quicker, so this was not a positive development for the Jedi.

Deflect, tumble, shear off a weapon or a wrist, move, deflect again, Sascha moved alongside his friend with precision, with the years of training he had received at the Jedi Temple and the will of the Force guiding his actions. Even in the chaos of battle, he refused to let go of his sense of calm, letting himself be the eye of the storm and watching the battle rage around him. Even as a couple of near misses pinged through his clothes, he was not deterred.

Sascha used a Force push to disrupt a soldier that had been taking careful aim at Tyra, and Tyra took that opportunity to drop the man for good long while with an improvised roundhouse kick to the skull. Careful not to push too far forward and aware that they would not be able to hold an advantage for too long against such overwhelming numbers, the Jedi beat a hasty retreat back to their room, having disarmed or disabled a fair number of KSF soldiers.

Back inside, Tyra sat and leaned her back against the wall. Her hair was now damp and her breath was coming in short, quick bursts. "Well, that was some good work, but we still have to deal with them drilling through that wall," she panted.

"I'm not sure how to disable it," Sascha said, breathing hard. He had received a few cuts during that last foray. Nothing particularly damaging, but it was a reminder that he was indeed mortal. Not that he really needed reminding after what had happened to his Master.

He returned his attention back to the drill, extending his senses outward. After a moment, he gave up, "I can't get a clear picture of the drill in my head, but then again I never had the greatest grasp of telekinesis. I don't know how to stop it."

"I can't do it either," muttered Tyra, "I'm just…too tired, my focus keeps slipping." Tyra closed her eyes and let her hands fall softly to her sides.

Sascha rubbed the back of his head, "Okay, so we can't stop them drilling another entrance to the room, but maybe we could block off the doorway…with the desk. That means that we'll still only have one entryway to deal with."

Tyra opened her eyes and glared at him, "And when they bring the drill to another wall? What then?"

"I don't know Tyra," he shouted, "I'm just trying to survive until then!"

"Such a wonderful mess we've gotten into," Tyra muttered in frustration. Despite her obvious irritation, she swayed to her feet and assisted him as they moved the large and surprisingly heavy desk into a position where it blocked the entryway. It was a formidable enough obstacle, the wood was heavy and solidly built, anything short of an explosive device would only chip away at it.

"I wonder if we can get more furniture delivered…," pondered Sascha, half-seriously.

"Sure, just ask for express delivery and see if their delivery area includes warzones. Piece of cake," laughed Tyra.

Sascha smiled at his friend, her face had been marked by a couple of small cuts, but that couldn't take away from her genuine mirth. They may be dying in this very room sooner rather than later, but they were going to go down fighting, a smile on their faces and the Force in their hearts.

Sascha noticed that Itoma Kuat was slowly waking from her unconscious state. He knew that he didn't want to deal with the Senator trying to make another escape. So he picked up one of the blasters that he had recovered from his attackers, put the setting on stun and fired at the prone body of Itoma Kuat. Itoma's body jerked for a second and then lay still. He shook his head in disgust and moved the Senator's unconscious body out of the way as much as was possible. He still intended on turning Itoma over to the proper authorities at the end of this ordeal, but he was beginning to doubt that he would be able to.

Tyra was making herself useful as well. She had noticed that some KSF troops were trying to knock down their makeshift blockade, and she took it upon herself to lob one of their stun grenades into their midst, incapacitating those too slow to notice that their own munitions were being used against them.

It was a temporary reprieve at best. The drilling sounds were getting louder and louder, indicating that the KSF were very close to drilling right through the wall. Sascha and Tyra considered plunging their lightsabers through the wall in hopes of disabling the device, but ultimately they decided that cutting through the wall would do more harm than good. Therefore, they waited like the patient Jedi they were, again gathering their strength for when the wall came down.

When the durasteel wall eventually gave way, Sascha and Tyra once again went on the offensive, trying to scatter the KSF soldiers from their new, advantageous position. But this time their opposition was ready for them. As the two Jedi leapt through the newly created opening, they saw that the room was packed almost to capacity with troops in grey and gold armor, their weapons held at the ready.

Sascha caught the first soldier he saw with an improvised elbow to the jaw, but he got cracked in the head with the man's blaster rifle in response. Shaking off the brief bout of wooziness that impact gave him, he disarmed the man with a textbook Cho Mai mark of contact that made the man scream in pain, now lacking a hand to hold his rifle. Quickly the two Padawans understood that they could not last for long against the numbers they were up against. They moved into a back-to-back position with each other and deflected the stun bolts being fired at them from what seemed like every possible angle. He felt one near miss scream past his hip, blackening his robe as an indicator of how close he'd been to be losing everything.

As they backed towards their original room, the Padawans used a small part of their focus to drop a pair of stun grenades to the floor. Mentally, they counted the seconds until they went off. In the din of battle, Sascha barely heard a couple of soldiers call out that a grenade had been dropped, but the sounds of the battle mostly drowned them out. After his and Tyra's silent count ended, they stopped deflecting blaster bolts and leapt somewhat awkwardly back into their original room through the hole that the drill had made

With the Padawans safely out of range, the stun grenades went off in the middle of the KSF soldiers. The stun grenades didn't make much of a sound when they went off, but their bluish light and seemingly almost electrical discharge decorated the room in an almost ghoulish manner, with shadows playing in odd shapes across the walls. The KSF soldiers were almost all caught in the radius of the blast, dropping them where they stood. Many fell awkwardly to the ground, their sudden loss of consciousness meant that they could not break their fall, and as a result many of the soldiers would be stunned for a further amount of time.

Sascha was satisfied how that had turned out, though even that quick little battle had taken a lot out of him. He was tired, oh so tired, and he had no idea if their sorely needed rescue was coming.

"Those grenades must have been sent by the Force, I don't know if we could have lasted without them," remarked Tyra.

"If we survive, we'll send Merr-Sonn Munitions a nice letter. Then they can promote those grenades as 'Jedi approved'" commented Sascha.

Tyra snorted in a very unladylike fashion, though really, Tyra had never been much of a lady. "We need a new plan, I think it's time for us to adopt some ranged weaponry, one of us can deflect incoming fire, the other can provide it. We have more than enough blasters – we might as well use them. It might let us conserve our strength too."

Sascha nodded in agreement, but he had a more pressing concern, "What about the KSF troops we just stunned – that's only going to give us a brief respite, they'll wake up and keep trying to shoot us."

Tyra glanced into the other room, where some KSF soldiers were dragging their unconscious comrades into the safety of the atrium, "Well unless you want to start lopping off limbs of unconscious soldiers I'm not seeing much choice in the matter. We don't have rope or cuffs or anything to tie them up with."

Sascha's stomach roiled at the thought of carving up unconscious men and women, "I guess we don't have much choice," he replied.

Tyra hefted one of the KSF blasters, "Come on, they'll try to attack again soon, you take deflection duties first." Sascha would never have admitted it, but he was happy that Tyra let him have the lead first, it was a vote of confidence in his abilities that he himself sometimes doubted.

After a few minutes of respite, the Jedi were forced into adopting their new, and unfamiliar battle tactic. Once again, the KSF tried to force their way into their room, this time they used the new opening they had cut to try to get at them.

Sascha had drilled at fighting together with his fellow Jedi at the Temple, learning how not to impale a fellow Jedi with his lightsaber during the heat of battle, but fighting with blasters was something that they had never practiced. Still, it would have looked to the untrained eye as if it was something that they had drilled every day.

As he kept up a strong guard, his lightsaber held diagonally from his hip, pointing upwards towards the roof, Tyra peppered any KSF soldier who dared to attack the Jedi with quick, accurate shots from her blaster. When the power pack wheezed towards empty, she simply used the Force to bring another into her hand.

The two Jedi moved in unison, a different sort of dance than they had learned at one point at the Temple, this was no Alderaanian Waltz, this was a far more desperate and deadly dance, and one misstep would be the end of both of them. Sascha and Tyra's long history of working together was paying dividends, their natural connection made moving together as easy as breathing.

As Tyra's second blaster ran empty, she withdrew her lightsaber from her belt and ignited her blue blade, an obvious signal that it was Sascha's turn to provide the covering fire. He summoned one of the fallen blasters to his hand, only to find that it was out of energy. Oops. He scanned the room for another one and while doing so he became appalled at the body count that the Jedi were accumulating. It took a moment for him to remember that the bodies that were sprawled across the floor were not dead, merely stunned. Still, even the appearance of causing death went against everything Sascha had trained for.

Sascha tapped into his deep reserve of calm, and he centered himself in the Force. He had more difficulty in doing so than usual, which was a testament to his fatigue, but even the apparent onset of his death could not disrupt his calm. After all there was no death, only the Force. Another blaster flew into his hand, this one had a nearly full power pack. He ducked behind Tyra's blue blade and opened fire at his enemies.

It was an odd experience, firing a blaster, Sascha thought. You simply pointed your weapon at a person and squeezed the trigger and then that person fell, sometimes twitching from the energy from the stun bolt, sometimes just dropping as they were hit without anything more than a grunt. It was an oddly impersonal way to conduct warfare. A lightsaber was clean, efficient, and defensive. It was equally capable of being a whirling blade of death or a tool for the protection of innocents. It also required the wielder to be close to your opponent, so when you were causing harm you could almost feel the pain of the person you were harming. It kept a Jedi aware of his actions, from becoming a thoughtless butcher. A blaster on the other hand, was a purely offensive device, and you could fire it from such a distance that it was completely impersonal. A distasteful weapon, so uncivilized.

Time started to become something of an abstract concept for the two Padawans, they swapped roles without conscious thought, they seemed more like one person, one manifestation of the Force, than two separate Padawans. It likely would have scared them, had they had a spare moment to think about it. The battle was taking a mental toll on Sascha, he could have sworn that he stunned the same KSF trooper on at least three separate occasions, but he couldn't tell if that was just his mind playing tricks on him.

There was an ironic monotony to the battle, the KSF would try to press the Jedi, the Jedi would respond until they felt themselves being close to overwhelmed, and then they would simply toss a pair of stun grenades towards the thickest concentration of troops. After that, they would try to recover as much as they could before the KSF came at them again.

If Sascha thought he was tired before, he was exhausted now. His robe had been ripped and torn in numerous places, and he was bleeding from some inconsequential, but increasingly numerous cuts. He took a glance over at Tyra to see her in similar shape.

More than anything, the Padawans were simply being worn down. A Jedi could simply not keep drawing on the Force constantly, without being exceptionally powerful and disciplined, and Sascha simply was not. Tyra was stronger than he was, but even she looked as tired as he could ever remember her being.

During one of their brief respites, Tyra spoke up, "When we get through this, I'm going to have some harsh words for your Master, Sascha. Such a brilliant idea, leaving the two Padawans on their own, we could really use a Jedi Knight right about now!"

"Luminara is not my Master, Tyra. My Master is currently on Coruscant." She's the lucky one, Sascha thought, though she might need a new Padawan soon.

"Fine, whatever. If we die though, I swear I'm going to haunt her as a ghost."

Sascha would have laughed if he wasn't so tired, "Listen, Tyra if we don't make it…"

Tyra stabbed a finger into his chest defiantly, "No, we are not having this conversation. We are both going to make it. Understand, Sascha?"

"Yes, Ma'am," replied Sascha summoning what little sense of amusement he had left.

The conversation was ended by a sound that neither of them, but had feared that they would. The drill was being started up again, this time working on the wall opposite to where it had drilled an entrance the first time. We can't defend against such a wide variety of angles, Sascha thought to himself darkly. That drill was the sound of their deaths.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We're karking dead, that's what," replied Tyra in a venomous tone. "I think it's time to see where that ventilation shaft will lead us? It can't be worse than here."

"I don't have a better idea. I'll defend, while you take the Senator, I'll follow when I can."

"No, I should be the one that stays behind," Tyra declared.

Sascha glared back at his friend, "And how exactly do I get the Senator up into the ventilation shaft with me? My telekinesis skills were poor before I started fighting this battle, Force only knows what is left of that ability. No, it has to be you."

Tyra turned her fierce gaze on him, and for a second he thought that she would try to argue with him. Instead, she poked him in the chest, "You better be right behind me."

"I'm a bit too tired to take on a whole army by myself," he said.

His best friend nodded, and used the Force to pull a grate off the ventilation shaft. She gathered herself and jumped into the open shaft, before bracing herself and reaching out with the Force to float Itoma Kuat to her.

As he was watching Tyra move the Senator, the KSF launched another attack. This time, only he was available to deflect blaster bolts and Tyra was not there to give him cover fire. The first serious fusillade launched at him almost broke his defences. Stun bolts whizzed passed him at uncomfortably close distances. He held his ground as best as he could and retreated patiently, but there was simply too much incoming fire. It got even worse when the KSF troopers began gradually advancing and switching over from the stun setting to full power, realizing that the Senator was not with the last Jedi.

"Sascha! Let's go!" yelled Tyra.

He glanced upward to see that Tyra had made room for him to jump into the ventilation shaft. Time to make my last-second escape, he thought to himself.

He was about to follow Tyra into the shaft when he felt his defences being pierced and a blue stun bolt land near his hip. Suddenly, he felt like all his nerves had been lit on fire, the pain was excruciating. Instead of jumping to the relative safety of the ventilation shaft, he was frozen in place, unable to move.

"SASCHA, COME ON!" shouted Tyra, but he was unable to heed her desperate request.

He then felt the impact of something across his midsection and another impact that knocked his lightsaber clean out of his hand.

Then he felt nothing at all.


	45. Last Stands

The exhaustion that Tyra Harker had been feeling simply dissipated when she saw the blue stun bolt graze Sascha. The bolt had frozen him in place in an almost comedic fashion, which was when the two laser bolts had hit him, one ripping across his midsection, leaving his robe black and charred where it made impact. The second hit his lightsaber square in the hilt, disengaging it and sending it clattering away. Sascha would have slumped over unconscious, had she not used all her remaining strength to lift him with the Force into the cramped ventilation shaft.

Once she had pulled him inside the ventilation shaft, she barely remembered the next few moments. She felt Sascha's presence, which had always been so brightly etched into her mind dim, which had been the most terrible feeling of her young life. She remembered pushing the semi-conscious form of the Senator through the shaft, and dragging Sascha's unconscious body behind her, an almost herculean task she only accomplished by drawing heavily on the Force. She took the first turn that she saw, which thankfully, either by intuition from the Force, or sheer luck, led to an empty room. She then dropped down to the floor and used the Force to float both the semi-conscious Senator and the still unconscious Sascha to the ground beside her.

It was not going to take too much time before the KSF figured out their new location, but at least their adult size and armored bodies would be unable to follow the Padawans through the ventilation shaft. Small comfort, thought Tyra.

She took a quick glance around the room, evaluating it. This room at least had a lot of available cover, there were more than a few tables and chairs around that could be used as impromptu shelter. That was good. The single most glaring problem with this room was that it led directly into the atrium that the KSF had been staging from, and the wall facing the atrium was made of transparisteel, which was going to allow the KSF troops a great view of the Jedi.

She then turned her focus to Sascha. Her friend lay prone on the ground, breathing softly. She was about to open Sascha's robe to get a look at his injuries when he woozily came back to consciousness. The close emotional connection that she shared with Sascha meant that occasionally she would get flashes of his thoughts, usually these were vague emotions or feelings. This time, she received a fraction of the pain that he had to be experiencing. Tyra felt herself grimace as suddenly it felt like her midsection was on fire and being prodded with a pair of poisoned blades.

Sascha, seeing her reaction, muttered, "Sorry," through his slightly glazed over eyes.

She felt the pain fade from her senses, which was a good sign, it told her that her friend still had the ability to use the Force to dull his pain. Whether he'd be able to use it for anything more than that remained to be seen. Honestly, she was just glad to see him moving.

"Let me check on your wound Sascha, while we have a second." Not for the first time in her life, Tyra cursed her lack of healing ability. Each Jedi was gifted in their own way, but to be deficient in healing anyone besides herself had always galled her, and no matter how hard she worked at it, she never seemed to improve.

"I'm fine Tyra," replied Sascha. As tough as Sascha was, and he was plenty tough, he did not look anywhere near fine. The minor scrapes they had both accumulated were nothing compared to the angry looking burn that ran across the middle of Sascha's robe, he had his arm draped over it in a protective fashion, unwilling to let her see how bad the damage actually was. That was not good. And Force only knew how getting grazed by that stun bolt had affected him.

"It's like sticking your hand into an electrical socket, except instead of removing it immediately, it's like your hand got stuck." Sascha grimaced and looked away, "I almost wish the stun bolt had hit had hit me square on, it would be less painful."

"I didn't know you could read my thoughts."

"Well, you were thinking so loud you were interrupting my meditation," Sascha said, a weak smile on his pale face.

Tyra smiled in spite of the situation, there was something so heartening about hearing Sascha making a lame joke after his near death experience.

"Tyra, what happened to my lightsaber?" he asked, searching his belt.

"It's in the other room, it took a direct hit, I don't even know if its functional."

Sascha's expression fell, "Well, I guess I'm on full time blaster duty then."

"The KSF is going to find us soon you know, then your brave little defence will be over," said Itoma Kuat, shakily propping herself into a sitting position. Tyra hadn't even really been aware that the Senator had awoken again, and she wanted, badly, to smack her in the head once more. "My offer to surrender still stands Padawans, I'll give you both clean, honorable deaths. Surely it is better than the alternative, you must know you cannot hope to survive now, with one of you wounded. It is only a matter of time."

"Hey schutta, I didn't ask for your opinion." Tyra knew that swearing was somewhat unbecoming of a Jedi, but with no one around to reprimand her and her death staring her in the face…

"What did you call me?" replied Itoma Kuat in a shrill voice.

Tyra fixed the Senator with a stare she knew to be intimidating, "You heard me."

"Tyra, gag her or knock her unconscious if you want," said Sascha through gritted teeth. "But I think the KSF found our little hiding place, and we don't have the time to get into an insult contest." Sascha Whitestar, wounded and almost deliriously fatigued was still capable of being the voice of reason. For that reason, she would follow him to the gates of hell itself.

While she had dark thoughts of knocking Itoma Kuat back into unconsciousness, the last time she had done that she had felt horribly unclean and she did not want to experience that again. Therefore, she simply used the stun setting on one of the blasters she had appropriated to send Itoma back into a deep slumber. It probably wasn't good for anyone to be knocked in and out of consciousness like Itoma Kuat had today, but it was the least she deserved.

Sascha was right though, they needed to prepare to continue the fight. A large squad of KSF soldiers had formed up outside of the transparisteel window, clearly waiting for a signal to pierce the window and open fire. There's too many of them, Tyra felt herself despair, the room had lots of cover, but cover worked both ways, there was almost no way she could use her lightsaber without being shot to pieces before she could get in range to use it. Maybe if she was at full strength she could do it. Maybe. Now? No chance.

"Two against an army, this is just like some of those terrible action holos you like isn't it," she asked Sascha.

"Pretty much," was his response along with a lopsided smile.

"The good guys always win in the end, right?" she asked.

Sascha squeezed Tyra's hand reassuringly, and looked at her with his deep, compassionate, brown eyes, "Always."

Her heart got caught in her throat for a second. She wondered what words she was supposed to say to her best friend right now. She wasn't sure he'd be alive in a few minutes. Hell, she wasn't sure she'd be alive in a few minutes. There had to be some sort of magic words or phrase that she could say to Sascha so that he would know how much he meant to her.

If there were such words, Tyra Harker didn't know them.

"Focus, Tyra," said Sascha quietly.

"Stay out of my head, Whitestar," she said behind a smile.

He shook his head softly, "Not in your head, Tyra. Don't need to be. I just know you."

Those gently spoken words almost broke her, almost broke the calm in her mind that she was tenuously hanging on to. Here she was, with her best friend perilously wounded and he was helping her. It was insane. Maybe her whole life was insane.

"Ready?" he asked.

She considered the question for a second. "Yeah."

Her best friend nodded and started slinking away from her, searching for cover.

"Hey Sascha," she said. Her friend turned around. "May the Force be with you."

He grinned, and for a split-second she sees Sascha how he usually was, a kind and gentle boy with soft features, not the exhausted Jedi across from her, his face pale and marked with cuts. "It usually is," he said.

Resolve flooded into her, quelling her self-doubt, quelling her fears. Sascha was still alive. She was still alive. As long as they both drew breath, there was hope. Tyra marveled at how Sascha had buttressed her for the battle to come. Her friend always had the right words to say, would always be able to make her better than she would be if she was alone.

Tyra experimented with holding her lightsaber in her right hand and a blaster rifle in the other, it was ungainly and awkward, but she thought that she might be able to make it work. Sascha moved ponderously off to her side, keeping one arm draped across his midsection. He found cover behind a big, heavy looking desk. He gripped his rifle tightly, taking careful aim, aware that he no longer had a lightsaber to deflect incoming fire. He looked terrible, his face was almost completely pale, almost sickly with perspiration, he was also drawing deeper on the Force than she thought he was capable of, she knew his limit was fast approaching. What she would do when it came, she hadn't the slightest of ideas.

"FOR KUAT!" came the cry from the soldiers, before the transparisteel window exploded into a thousand tiny fragments, causing Tyra to duck behind her cover. That split second was all the KSF troopers needed to claim some of the best bits of protection in the room, it would be near impossible to dislodge them. Wonderful.

Tyra took one of the few stun grenades she had left and tossed it so that it landed just beyond a nearby couch. Then with a flick of the Force she detonated it, stunning several of the soldiers that were using it as cover.

Sascha was moving with little of his usual speed or grace, but every shot he took seemed to find its target nevertheless. When he took a second to catch his breath, he rested laboriously, his head lolling around, seemingly unable to hold it up straight anymore. Tyra was doing slightly better, she was getting the hang of wielding his lightsaber one handed and firing a blaster with the other. She lacked some accuracy, but she was at least able to keep many KSF soldiers pinned down with her blaster.

Ultimately it wasn't going to matter, the Padawans were fighting with every last drop of courage and skill they had at their disposal, but the sheer numbers were going to get them, and soon.

She jumped out of her cover, and rolled while firing. Her first shot missed, but her second shot caught the KSF soldier she'd been aiming at in the left flank, and he fell like a stone. From her new vantage point, she caught three KSF soldiers out of position in quick succession, before a barrage of red laser bolts, forced her to beat a hasty retreat away, swatting away the red streaks of light that got too close to her with her lightsaber. Clearly, the KSF had decided that stun bolts weren't getting the job done anymore. Maybe in the end, they didn't really care about retrieving Senator Kuat unharmed. Maybe they were just angry at being stymied by two beings whose age combined to a total of thirty.

Having a quick second to rest, she glanced over to Sascha's position, and her heart caught in her throat. Her friend, her best friend, was close to being surrounded by a flanking manoeuver from the KSF. Sascha, obviously unaware of how much danger his position was under, was engaging in a firefight with an entire squad of KSF troopers, using his rapidly disintegrating desk as cover. That was not so much a problem as the other platoon that she observed that was using it as a distraction to achieve a flanking position on him.

Kriff this, she thought, deciding that she was going to help him. She prepared to leap to aid him, but just before she was about to move, a cascade of fire pinged around her current position. She wedged herself as tightly as she could into her cover and tried to shout a warning to Sascha. Sascha didn't seem to hear her warning over the roaring sounds of battle.

Not about to give up on her best friend, she tried the tactic that had been so successful for the Jedi so far, the use of the KSF issued stun grenades. But this time when she tried to float one to a position that would have allowed her to join up with her beleaguered colleague, a strong, clear voice shouted, "Grenade, sector 5-14G."

Quickly, all the troopers that would have been stunned retreated to a safe distance. Tyra, back pressed to a hover-chair, slammed her fist into her thigh in frustration. Whoever was leading these troops was no idiot, and the KSF were adapting well to the Jedi's tactics.

With her cut off, Sascha belatedly realized that he was being flanked, and bravely half-rose into a firing position to fire on the three soldiers that were getting an advantageous position on him. He dropped the first soldier with an exquisite shot that had anticipated the troopers rolling dive. The second soldier he missed by a fraction of an inch, spooking the man into missing his own shot high and wide. Sascha's second shot caught him full in the chest, the blue stun bolt dancing across his body, leaving the armored trooper to collapse in a freefall to the ground.

The third soldier had taken his time and lined up his shot. Tyra saw the red laser bolt go through Sascha's left arm. He was sent spinning by the impact, and he collapsed soundlessly to the floor, laying still, his eyes rolling into the back of his head.

Tyra Harker had thought that watching Sascha be wounded the first time had been the worst moment of her life. The moment where he had laid still after being hit by the blaster bolt that pierced through him was infinitely worse.

He's not dead, she told herself, she was sure she would have felt him die. He's just hurt. He's okay. She just has to get to him, and use her non-existent healing ability. Oh Force why is this happening to us! Seeing Sascha get hit again had sapped whatever reserve of calm that she had left, she felt crazed, manic, gasping for air in wild, deep breaths.

In a desperate move to gain some time, she loosed all but three of her remaining stun grenades, letting them scatter wildly, haphazardly. Not even bothering to see how effective her tactic had been, she dashed to Sascha's side and pulled him back to the relative safety of her position, avoiding the shots that came in her direction by pure instinct. She rose, snarling, and shot the trooper that had wounded Sascha right in the head, the blue stun bolt danced across his body, and the soldier jerked spastically and then lay still. For a split-second Tyra wished that she had taken the blaster off stun, but she had just enough composure left still to fight like the Jedi that she was.

Ducking back into her cover, Tyra doesn't even dare to look at Sascha's wound, the hole that the blaster had carved into his robe had been evidence enough of how serious his wound was. Somehow, with Sascha pulled to her position, she was in an even more desperate panic. She doesn't know what to do. She couldn't use the Force to heal him, even if she wasn't in the middle of a warzone, and there's no time to do first aid. Tyra felt her breath coming in short gasps…she can't let Sascha just die here in her arms. She let loose a primal scream, putting all her frustration, her fear into it.

"Tyra…I'm sorry." Sascha, though his eyes were still shut, was still somehow clinging to consciousness. She had never been happier to hear his voice. "Can't feel my arm…Can't feel much of anything," he then groaned in the most inhuman way possible, to her it sounded like the wail of a dying Nexu.

Tyra cupped his cheek gently, "Sascha! Stay with me! We'll get through this yet," her voice was so frantic it took a second for her to recognize it as her own.

Sascha gave her a ghostly smile, a trickle of blood running from his lip and down his chin, "Maybe. Only one choice Tyra, put me in a hibernation trance."

"WHAT! Sascha I'm no healer, Master Nal'ma told me never to try something like that on another person…I could kill you or put you in a coma. I don't even know how to put someone else in a hibernation trance! Do it yourself!"

"Not…strong enough right now…" he said weakly. Sascha's strength seemed to be fading by the second. "I trust you Tyra," Sascha coughed, a racking, terrible cough, "I can guide you, it's just like putting yourself in a trance, except it's for me and not for yourself, the pattern is the same."

"No…Sascha…I've never done anything like that before." She heard the footsteps of oncoming KSF troops and unleashed the last of her stun grenades. The footsteps abated temporarily.

Sascha opened his eyes with some effort, "Now, or never Tyra, follow my lead."

Tyra, deeply hesitant but seeing no other choice, latched on to Sascha's dim Force presence as he guided her inside his mind. She tried to tell herself that what she was doing was just like how she had learned to do healing trances back in the Temple. Except it's not her body that she's doing it to, and she's in the middle of a warzone, and she can't even remember how long she's been fighting. And to top it all off, if she doesn't get it perfect, she'll kill or cripple her best friend. Easy.

Sascha led her in the first few steps of the pattern just like she had been taught years ago. Her friend was trying to guide her, but he was getting weaker by the second, and by the halfway point of the pattern, his presence was gone. She completed the pattern to the best of her knowledge and ability, and opened her eyes to see the results.

Sascha lay in her arms, eyes shut, not moving. The only sign that he was alive at all were the almost imperceptibly slow breaths he was taking. Well, thought Tyra, either he is in a healing trance, or she has put her best friend into an irreversible coma. Wonderful.

Dimly, Tyra realized that Senator Kuat had awoken yet again and was staring with some horror at the scene unfolding in front of her. "Make yourself useful for once and tie a tourniquet for his arm," she commanded the Senator.

Itoma Kuat huffed, some colour returning to her face, "Why should I help you Jedi at all?"

"Because if I feel him die, the next thing you feel will be my lightsaber through your heart!" she shouted. Itoma Kuat seemed to think that was a real threat because she tore off a part of her dress and wrapped it around Sascha's upper arm in a basic tourniquet. Tyra wasn't sure if her threat was idle or not. She hoped desperately she would not have to find out.

Dragging her attention back to the situation at hand, she realized that the KSF troops had used their reprieve well, gaining several advanced positions that she was going to have difficulty dislodging them from. Tyra still felt relatively safe, but there was still the fact that she was pushing herself to the point of absolute collapse. She had always possessed good endurance, but now she could feel her vision narrowing, and her body protesting her every movement.

The lack of stun grenades was also a problem, she was still wielding the blaster and the lightsaber at once, but neither weapon was much use in attacking soldiers that had quality cover. Nonetheless, her first volley stopped the KSF advance in its tracks and granted her a short time to collect her breath and duck back behind the solid desk that had been her salvation.

Senator Kuat looked at her with…sympathy? She's having trouble reading emotions at the moment, that is how exhausted she currently is. The Senator reached out and touched her leg gently, "You know young one, my offer of surrender is still on the table. You can die together. Like the lovers you should be, if not for the pathetic rules of your Jedi Order."

For the first time Tyra actually spares a second of thought on Itoma Kuat's offer, that is how desperate things have gotten, how addled her mind has become. One second was enough to know that she couldn't possibly accept. She shook her head, sending sweat flying from her hair, "Not, a chance Senator. You don't understand how this works. You do not get to win, we get to win. We are the good guys. You're the evil character at the end of the holo who curses the heroes from the comfort of their very own prison cell."

Itoma's sympathetic look mutated into one of menace, "I'm going to enjoy watching you die, Jedi."

"Don't count on it, lady," Tyra replied, with a lot more confidence than she currently felt.

Tyra reaches into the Force once again for the presence of her Master, Teff Nal'ma. Master, please help she cries into the Force, she has no idea how much longer she can hold on. She doesn't get a reply from her Master as such, but she gets the impression that he's getting closer to her. That's an improvement at least. Hurry, hurry, hurry, she says wordlessly into the Force.

Message sent, there's not much else to do but to continue the fight. She rose, deflected the incoming fire and returned some of her own. Deflect and move, move and fire, tumble and deflect, fire three times, Tyra is doing it all mechanically, she knows that her time is running short.

How long has she been doing this? Days? Weeks? Hours? She doesn't really know. It's only her and the Force. Sascha's presence had been so comforting, without it, she feels wilder, weaker. It's only really now that she realizes how important he is to her.

For the first time in her life, she heard the call of the dark side. It whispered alluringly to her, 'just tap into your anger, your hate and your fatigue can be burned away. You can save your friend, all you have to do is give in to your anger this once.'

Tyra had always laughed at the idea of being tempted by the dark side. It seemed so ridiculous. Didn't the Jedi always beat the Sith? The idea that the dark side could be stronger than the light side never seemed to make much sense. But right now, it's the most seductive idea she's ever heard.

Tyra considers the implicit offer. There was always the possibility of returning to the light side, right? That was something that Jedi did, wasn't it? Weren't the archives full of stories of Jedi who redeemed themselves after falling to the dark side? She swore that she had read some of them, perhaps in a past life. Even if Master Nal'ma had to strike her down afterwards, she might be able save Sascha. Tyra Harker wondered how far she could go to save the life of a fellow Jedi, a friend, one of the best people she knows.

She made her decision.

Tyra yelled aloud, cursing the bluest streak she can manage, "Kriff it all, kriff this stupid karking planet and its entire karking population." She rose again, snarling, unleashing a small part of her anger to renew her strength. Her shots ring with a newfound accuracy, her lightsaber once again moved precisely to deflect incoming fire. Her muscles, previously almost ablaze with pain, no longer trouble her. Her fear of loss and her anger at this situation, give rise to the darkness inside of her, and that darkness within her gives her strength, gives her the ability to carry on.

'Tyra you have to stay with the light,' she heard Sascha's voice speak to her.

Stunned, she dropped back into cover to look over at Sascha, who is still clearly unconscious in the lap of Itoma Kuat. Tyra blinked a couple of times, trying to decide if she has lost what is left of her sanity. She looked at Sascha's limp form and spoke to him as if he could respond to her, "Sascha, you're not really talking to me. I need this, just let me tap into my anger. I can SAVE us!" she roared.

Tyra can half-see Sascha shake his head slowly, "Tyra Harker of clan Dragon, you don't need to do this."

"Sascha, I can barely move, I don't have anything left," she whispered furiously.

Sascha's voice still comes unbidden, "I'd rather die than watch you fall to the dark side Tyra. You know I don't fear my death, if this is my path, let me take it."

Tyra knew that her friend's words are true. She screamed in a burst of emotion, and draws on the positive memories she's had with Sascha over their more than decade long friendship.

Those memories give her the strength to go on, to rise up again, and to keep fighting. For the first time in…hours? Her mind seems clear, she fights without fatigue, without the tiny pains of the hundreds of little cuts and bruises she's accumulated, she fights like it's a sparring session back at the Temple, a place of calm. She reaches out with the Force and detonates a stun grenade that was on the hip of an unsuspecting KSF trooper. They had stopped carrying them a while ago, but this poor soul must have forgotten. His loss, her gain.

The burst of energy Tyra received doesn't last long, but when she hears the dark side call to her again, she laughs out loud. The dark side has no hold on Tyra Harker, Jedi Padawan.

Tyra fought on. Time has lost all meaning to her, she just fights, she is in harmony with the Force and this is her song. But, like all songs, it must end.

A laser bolt pinged into the top of her shoulder. It's just another minor wound in the grand scheme of things, but it's just enough to break her will to fight. In the end, even a Jedi can only take so much.

She slumped behind the desk, blaster falling from her hand. Her lightsaber is still ignited, but she can barely get her eyes to focus. Tyra has given everything she had and more, she's just completely empty. She can't even feel the Force anymore, she doesn't feel her pain, and this reality is more like a dream than anything she's ever experienced.

She crawled over to Sascha and yanked him away from Itoma Kuat, he's still unconscious, his face serene. Even the burn on his left arm and the blood seeping from it can't take away from his look of absolute peacefulness. Tyra cradled him, brushing his hair lightly, as she brings his face close to hers. It's probably the most intimate moment they've ever shared, only one of them is conscious for it, and neither one is going to remember it soon.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," she said as tears fell down her cheek. Tyra Harker realized that she is going to die in a matter of moments, but she takes comfort that she will go out with her best friend, her truest ally, her soul mate in her arms. She rubbed Sascha's cheek lightly with her finger, she really wishes that she could see his lovely brown eyes again or that she could speak to him one last time; she had so much that she wanted to say to him.

Her mind started to drift, and she started wondering what death will be like. All that she hoped is that it is pleasant. She hoped that Sascha will be there with her. If he is, she knows that it will be okay. It's always okay when they are together.

"All KSF troops, stand down, I repeat stand down," an amplified voice echoes through the base, music to Tyra's ears. She laughed, a hollow and exhausted laugh. Just like the action holos, the cavalry had arrived at the last possible moment.

"No!" yelled Itoma Kuat, "You can't stand down! In the name of the Kuat family, I implore you to keep attacking, victory is close at hand!" The Senator scrambled up to her feet shakily, the aftereffects of being stunned so many times over the past few hours on full display. "I will lead you to victory, the Jedi younglings are defeated, we just need to finish them off." Itoma's speech is cut off by the distinctive sound of a lightsaber igniting.

"What have you done with my Padawan, Senator?" asked the menacing voice of Teff Nal'ma.

"Master!" Tyra called out, "Over here!"

The sound of boots moving towards her is the sweetest noise she's ever heard. When she sees her Master emerge, lightsaber ablaze, she bursts into tears, the emotion of the moment overwhelming her. The Miralian Jedi Knight, Luminara Unduli, followed shortly behind Teff, she blanches when she sees Sascha's seemingly lifeless body in her arms. Without a word, Luminara takes him from her and bolts off quickly, carrying his limp form in her arms, using the Force to heal him as she runs.

"Master…You came for me…"

Master Nal'ma knelt beside her. Tyra submitted to her exhaustion at last, falling into the arms of her Master and letting unconsciousness claim her.


	46. A Twi'lek and his Padawan

Tyra awoke in a start. She looked at her surroundings; the first thing she noticed was that her Master was sitting beside her on a chair, engrossed in reading a datapad. TShe appeared to be in some sort of medical bay, that much was clear from the various medical equipment that adorned the room. As she shifted in her bed, she could also feel an array of bacta patches attached to her body, healing the myriad cuts and wounds she had endured during the battle. Every muscle she had still ached from overexertion, but she ignored the pain because there was only one thought on her mind. "Where's Sascha? I have to see him."

Master Nal'ma put down his datapad and gave her an odd look, "Padawan, you must rest, you've been through so much you need more time to recover."

She felt her eyes flash with anger, "I'll rest when I see him." She swept the covers off of her bed and started towards the door, cringing as pain shot through her weary body. 

She had almost made it to the side of her bed when she found herself being gently held in place by the hand of her Master. "Tyra," Teff said in his lecturing tone, "Have you suddenly become a healer since I left you this morning? You can do nothing for your fellow Padawan. You need to rest."

Whatever strength she had recovered during her rest left her body all at once and she crumpled back into her bed. "Please, Master…at least tell me his condition," she whispered pitifully. Her deepest fear was that she had irreparably harmed him with her attempt at putting Sascha in a hibernation trance. What were the chances she'd done it correctly? Pretty slim, right? She closed her eyes, fighting off a wave of nausea that enveloped her. How could she live with herself if she'd harmed her best friend, even accidentally? Even if he asked her to do it?

Teff looked at her with sympathy, which might have been the first time she'd seen that expression on her Master's face, "Master Luminara was with him, last I checked. She had to undo your improvised hibernation trance, but it likely saved his life. He's currently being treated at the moment, but his survival is assured."

"I…saved him?" A surge of relief washed over her. Finally, she was able to calm her breathing down to an acceptable level. Simply knowing that Sascha was still alive seemed to return some piece of mind to her. Perhaps she might be a healer after all.

Teff nodded, "Yes, and neither Master Luminara nor myself can figure out how you did it. Did you take a special class with Master Che and just not tell me? Being able to put another being into a hibernation trance is an advanced skill only taught to Jedi healers, so we are a bit confused how you managed to do it. Healing was always one of your very few weaknesses."

Tyra shook her head slowly, "Sascha had taken a laser bolt to his arm and he was barely holding on to consciousness…honestly I think he just willed himself to keep conscious. But before he slipped into unconsciousness, he said the only way to save him would be to put him in a hibernation trance, which would slow down the impact of his wounds." She tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear, "He said it would be just like putting myself in a hibernation trance, only doing it to another person," she shrugged, "I guess he was right."

"Remarkable, truly the Force was with you two this day." She turned to focus on her Master and was astonished to see how emotional he was, there were even tears in Teff's eyes. "I'm so proud of you Tyra, today you have surpassed my wildest expectations."

Tyra could not have been more surprised if a bantha dropped from the floor above and told her she'd won a brand new speeder. Teff Nal'ma was many things, a skilled Jedi Knight, a Master she'd learned so much from, but he revealed very little of his true emotions regarding her. It had hurt her at first, to have a Master that was so aloof, but ultimately she'd learned to accept it, to thrive under it. The first six months of her apprenticeship had been the hardest six months of her life, but she learned more in those six months than she thought possible. Teff Nal'ma was a good teacher…he was just emotionally distant. She accepted that it was just the way he was.

Today though, he seemed oddly emotional. Perhaps her brush with death had awoken some emotion from deep inside of him.

Still, even if Teff was proud of her, she was not proud of the way she had handled herself. Well, she thought to herself, there probably wasn't going to be a better time to confess her failure, "No, I'm sorry Master, today I failed you. During the battle, when it got to the very end I was so tired…I felt the touch of the dark side and for the briefest moment…I gave into it." She released a deep breath, "I should have known better, I shouldn't have done it…I just couldn't resist it," Tyra looked away, ashamed.

Teff looked solemn, his lekku still, "I thought I might have felt you slip for a minute. I'm curious Tyra, we've been in tight spots before, but you never seemed to have a problem with the dark side. Did your temporary slip have something to do with Padawan Whitestar? I know you and him are…close. Remember as Jedi we are not allowed attachments," Teff said gently.

Was she attached to Sascha? She didn't know. She had never thought much about the question in all honesty. They had never made their relationship physical in any way. But deep down Tyra knew that she cared deeply for her friend. And why shouldn't she, she thought defiantly, he was her best friend, probably the person that had done the most to shape her into the person that she was today. And hadn't they fought brilliantly together? How many other apprentices could have done what they had done today?

"I'm not sure what level of attachment is allowed between friends, Master Nal'ma," she said carefully. "He's my closest friend, but we've never been anything beyond that. He had a crush on me when we were younger, but he got over that. I'll admit that I do find him to be cute, and that we are close emotionally, but we've never kissed or anything like that."

The Twi'lek cocked his head to the side, "But you don't love him?"

"What kind of question is that!?" she responded angrily. "I don't even know what love is! But aren't we told as Jedi to trust our feelings? So is it trust your feelings or not? I don't understand what the rules are, Master. Educate me."

"Careful with your tone, Padawan," Teff chided sternly.

"Sorry Master," she apologized. Tyra wondered what had come over her, reacting angrily like that. She argued with her Master on occasion, but she had just been…rude. That was not like her at all.

Teff continued speaking in a calm tone, "I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt regarding your friendship with Padawan Whitestar, but that sort of angry reaction is exactly why we as Jedi guard against attachments. As a Jedi, your mind must always be clear, but it cannot be if you are trying to protect your friend. There is nothing in the Jedi Code that says that attachment has to be physical, Tyra."

"Sascha is just my friend Master," Tyra said, "We've never been more than that. I don't know what qualifies as attachment though. Can I not have friends? Everything about the rule against attachments seems so contradictory. We aren't allowed attachments, but we are encouraged to be friends with our clanmates. We're also allowed to have a bond with our Master as a Padawan." Tyra held her head in her hands, "I don't understand when friendship becomes attachment, no one has ever explained it to me," she complained bitterly. "I also know it is the bond that I have with Sascha that allowed us to survive so long against impossible odds today, if it had been any other Padawan besides him, I'd be a charred corpse."

Master Nal'ma considered for a long moment, "The bond between you and Padawan Whitestar is a strong one, I know, and certainly it can be a source of strength, which is why I've never felt the need to comment too much on it." He leaned closer to her, "I didn't have any reason to question your relationship, until today."

Teff sighed and leaned back, "Attachment isn't so much about having feelings for someone, we would be a cold, heartless order of monks if we didn't allow feelings of friendship or even love. That is why attachment is banned, but love and friendship is not. You can be a Jedi and have very strong emotions for someone, as long as you are able to let them go. Defeating attachment is about accepting that you cannot control the fate of the people you care about. This is the mistake that you made, Tyra. The fate of your friend was not yours to decide."

"I was just trying to protect him," she whispered.

Teff rubbed her shoulder gently, "I know, Tyra. But you placed your desire to protect him even above your duties as a Jedi. You gave in to the dark side, Tyra, it was for a short moment, admittedly, but this is not something that I can ignore lightly."

Tyra knew that her Master was right. She had actually used the dark side to protect her friend. If there was one cardinal rule to being a Jedi, it was always to be in harmony with the light side of the Force. And she had broken that rule. For Sascha. When he found out about what she had done, Tyra was sure that he would be furious with her.

"Are you asking me to end my friendship with Sascha?" she asked, her voice quavering. Even asking that question seemed to drive a dagger into her heart. She had fallen to the dark side briefly, sure, but it was just a mistake, she pledged that she would never allow it to happen again. Nothing would come between her and Sascha.

Horrified by her own selfish subconscious, she felt a deep pit form at the bottom of her stomach. She had always thought that attachment had to be physical, but the more she thought about what had happened, the more she saw the truth. She realized at that moment that she might have ruined her friendship with Sascha. Tyra Harker thought that she might actually be physically sick, and it took all of her remaining control not to do so.

Her Master, not being an idiot, noticed her emotional distress. Tyra could feel him opening up to her in the Force, letting calming emotions flow into her. She latched on to his calm, letting it soothe her, if only temporarily. She slumped back into her bed, closed her eyes and lay peacefully, putting her hands lightly overtop her stomach.

When she opened her eyes a few minutes later, she nodded respectfully to her Master, "Thank you for that, Master."

"It was the least I could do," he said. Teff took her hand and patted it softly, "I am very glad to see you alive."

Tyra's mouth dropped open slightly, the kind of comforting gesture that Teff was currently giving her was completely out of character. It was the kind of gesture that Sascha would have made, not exactly something she expected from her famously aloof Master.

The Twi'lek smiled softly at her, "I am not without emotion, apprentice. It may often seem that way, but know that I will always be there for you."

Tyra wiped away a small tear that had formed for some reason underneath her right eye, "Thanks, Master."

"You know, your emotional strength was one of the reasons I picked you to be my Padawan," he said wistfully. "I knew that I would have limits as a teacher, so I wanted to pick an apprentice that could handle not being spoken to for hours on end, that didn't need my constant attention. I knew that I needed a Padawan that had a strong support group of friends that she could turn to, because she would not be able to turn to me. In short, I needed you."

"You needed me as much as I needed you, Master," Tyra replied respectfully. Truth be told, she sometimes wondered why she had picked Teff to be her Master. Multiple Jedi Knights had offered to be her Master, but she had chosen Teff because it had felt…right. When she was younger, she had second-guessed her decision, but now she didn't question it at all. Teff was her Master, and Tyra was Teff's Padawan.

"Yes, the relationship between Master and Padawan is best when it is symbiotic," he said quietly. "Some friendships become so strong that they become symbiotic as well."

"Like the friendship that Sascha and I have."

Teff nodded, "He is important to you. He will always be important to you. I cannot stand in the way of that. I am a Jedi Knight, not a force of nature," he said with a tiny smile.

Tyra chuckled softly, and then got serious, "What do you want me to do Master? I'm confused. Lost." She glanced away, "You always said I was always aloof from my emotions. Now I finally understand what that means. It meant that I didn't see the obvious until it was too late."

Teff paused for a moment, "I think you will need to meditate and think about your friendship with Sascha. You cannot just simply say, 'I'll cut him out of my life for six months,' or something similar, because you will just repeat the same mistake on a different day."

Tyra twirled her Padawan braid in a gesture of nervousness. "I could really use your guidance, Master. I don't know what I'm doing."

Teff held his hands out, "I cannot live your life for you, Tyra. Understand your relationship with Sascha and then think about the steps that you will need to take to change it." Her Master paused, "No matter what you decide about your relationship, I would encourage you to keep your friendship intact. You two are too compatible and work too well together for your friendship to be totally discarded over some teenage feelings gone a step too far."

Tyra nodded shakily, "I understand, Master. I will do that. But I want you to know that when I…fell to the dark side, Sascha appeared and pulled me back to the light. For that I owe him an incalculable debt."

"I suspected as much." Teff smiled wanly, "I have had my own brushes with darkness, Padawan, it is a rare Jedi Knight that never hears the call at least once over their lifetime. When I had my battle with darkness it was the voice of a friend of mine that brought me back from the brink of losing myself. I suspected it might have been the same for you. Padawan Whitestar is many things, but perhaps the most impressive is how brightly he burns in the light side of the Force, his surname is a most appropriate one."

Teff rose from his chair, "We will talk about this more at a later time Padawan. For now, it is not for me to deny you seeing your friend. Just promise me you will take this matter seriously."

Tyra swallowed hard, "I will, Master…I know it will be uncomfortable for me, but is something that must be done." She was pretty sure that she would be taking some dramatic steps change her relationship with her best friend. It hurt to even think about, but she would do it. She was a Jedi first, and Sascha's...friend, second.

Her Master paid no mind to her thoughts though, "Get dressed and I'll take you to him."


	47. Final Results

As Teff left the room to give her some privacy, Tyra dressed quickly. She had been surprised at the quick change of heart from her Master but she was not about to question it.

When she first stepped on the cool, gray tiles of the medical centre, her legs almost failed to support her. Her Master rushed over to her side, looking at her in concern, "Should I bring you a hoverchair?"

Tyra tested herself, flexing her knees deeply, her muscles were stiff and protested the movement, but that pain was easily mastered. "No, I'm fine," she responded. No bruises were going to keep her from seeing Sascha.

Teff took her hand and led her to an observation room where she could look into Sascha's room through a transparisteel window. "If you need anything, you have my comlink frequency," he said. Her Master bowed politely to her and withdrew, clearly understanding her need to be alone.

Tyra stared blankly at the form of her friend, not really processing what was going on. Sascha was on a bed similar to the one that she had been on. He unconscious but breathing normally; the readouts on the nearby machines showed strong vital signs and the lack of doctors swarming him indicated that the worst was over. That was the good news. The bad news was the grisly looking contraption that surrounded and enveloped Sascha's entire left arm, from his shoulder to his forearm. That had been the arm which had been wounded during the fighting, and Tyra assumed that the contraption...whatever it was, was trying to repair the damage that it had taken. Tyra bit her lip, if Sascha's arm didn't fully recover...

Her reverie was interrupted by another figure entering the observation room. Striding solemnly in behind her was the Miralian Jedi Knight, Luminara Unduli. Tyra only really knew Luminara by reputation, they hadn't shared much time together during this mission. Sascha had spoken of Luminara with a great deal of reverence and told Tyra that he owed her deeply, but to be honest, she did not exactly know what to think of Luminara. She was certainly not impressed with her decision-making abilities, given that her choice to leave the Padawans together had almost been completely disastrous. And her pointless arguing with Teff had only slowed things down.

Tyra turned to face Luminara. The Miralian's tattooed face seemed calm, but even without probing into the Force, Tyra could sense her emotional distress. "Will he recover, Master Unduli?" she heard herself say. Stupid, stupid, stupid, Tyra instantly regretted opening up the conversation with a Jedi Knight that she barely knew, she had just wanted to be left in peace, but her big mouth had betrayed her.

"The hibernation trance that you put him in likely saved his life," said Luminara, wearily. "The main concern right now is…"

"…his arm," Tyra finished the Miralian's sentence.

Luminara nodded, stricken, "They are pumping bacta into it right now, but the damage to the nerves was severe," the Miralian struggled with the next words, "He may not recover full use of his arm. If he does not, it's hard to see him becoming a Jedi Knight."

Tyra closed her eyes. If Sascha's arm didn't recover fully, he would of course be offered an artificial limb in replacement. Unfortunately that would be a problem. Jedi could have artificial limbs of course, but the Force was channeled through living tissue, not artificial limbs. Some Jedi lost part of their arm or leg and went on to become famed Jedi Knights, but Sascha was never the strongest in the Force to begin with and the loss of an arm would make him even weaker. He would be far too weak to take on missions and it would almost be impossible for him to pass the trials and become a Knight. "What will they do with him, if his arm does not recover?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Luminara swallowed hard, "He'll be given every chance to recover, of course. If the Kuatis cannot help him, then we'll take him to the Temple and see if the healers there can help. If nothing can be done however...its hard to see him continuing on as a Padawan. I believe that he would be released from his apprenticeship and offered a position in the archives." Luminara looked at her hesitantly, "Do you think he'd accept?"

Tyra almost laughed, Luminara really didn't know Sascha well at all. "Sascha would accept that offer in a heartbeat, Master Unduli. He'll probably laugh and say that it was totally worth losing his arm just to be able to be in the archives all day. He loves it in there; he loves it almost as much as being a Padawan." She smiled ruefully, "Once he failed in his first Apprentice Tournament, Sascha felt that he wasn't going to make the rank of Padawan, so he spent every waking moment he could in the archives, just hoping that someone would offer him a job there." Tears were coming unbidden to her eyes, but she blinked them away, Tyra Harker had cried enough for one day.

"I should never have allowed him to stay on this mission," Luminara spoke, her voice heavy with emotion, "After Narvis Rock, after Aurine got hurt, he'd accomplished enough on the mission to be more than proud of his efforts. But, he wanted to keep going with the mission and I thought that I could more than fill the role of Aurine. I was selfish – I wanted the opportunity to be Sascha's Master, if only for a short time. I was wrong. I'm not ready for the responsibility of taking on a Padawan. And now, I may have cost my closest friend her apprentice."

Tyra knew that she was expected to offer platitudes like 'you couldn't have known' or something similarly useless. That had never really been her forte, she would provide encouragement or advice to a friend, of course, but beyond that, she generally let her prickly demeanour speak for itself.

'You can still comfort her, Tyra,' she heard Sascha's voice in her head, 'you know how.'

The young Padawan frowned at herself, wondering why her subconscious was acting up today. She realized that she did, in fact, have the words to comfort the Miralian, and she would do so, because that was what Sascha would have wanted. "Sascha will pull through, Master Unduli, he won't let his career as a Padawan end after one mission."

"Aurine certainly has imbued her toughness into him," Luminara half agreed.

Tyra almost laughed in the Miralian's face, this was the Jedi Knight that had desperately wanted to be Sascha's Master? Tyra was sure glad that she hadn't gotten to take Sascha as her Padawan, clearly Luminara did not understand him at all. "No, Sascha is tough in the way that many less talented Jedi are, he's tough simply due to necessity. Do you know how hard it is to be a not-so talented student at the Jedi Temple?"

Luminara continued to look forlorn, "I cannot say I do."

Tyra looked at her comatose friend, "I can't say that I experienced it personally either, but Sascha has been my best friend since I was four years old so I always watched him. If it took me three hours to learn a Force skill and practice it to an acceptable level, it took Sascha six. And not because he's stupid or lazy, but because he isn't as strong in the Force as his fellow Jedi. But you know what? He never complained, never thought about how unfair it was that he had to work harder than his friends just to keep up. And even though he put in twice the effort that we did, when we sparred or practiced using the Force, he routinely got embarrassed."

She returned her attention to Luminara, "Always being at the bottom of the class through no fault of your own takes its own toll. I knew some Initiates that were more talented than Sascha that just couldn't handle putting in lots of extra effort just to keep up, many of them left the Temple or joined the Agricultural Corps, but Sascha remained, because he refused to quit. He has a strength of character about him which is what makes him a good Jedi, despite not having that much talent with the Force."

Luminara seemed slightly cheered by Tyra's storytelling she could tell, there was even something of a tiny grin on her face as she continued to stare at Sascha. "I suppose that I keep underestimating him, even after our first meeting." The Miralian turned to face her, "Did he ever tell you of our first meeting, how he scored a burn on me during a sparring session?"

Tyra shook her head, suppressing a laugh at the idea of Sascha, someone who she routinely beat in sparring sessions, scoring a point on well-regarded Jedi Knight Luminara Unduli.

"Well, he did, I certainly underestimated him, he got me with a well-planned piece of trickery,"

"That was always his style," commented Tyra.

Luminara spoke, her tone soft, reflective, "His only request beforehand was that I not hold back, and I certainly didn't, though perhaps a wiser Initiate would have relented after I scored the first two points in a dominant fashion. Instead he showed me how overconfident I had been and scored a burn on me."

Tyra brushed a hand through her tangled hair, "Yes, Sascha has a thing about people holding back, he always wanted a full effort from whoever he was facing, whatever the task might have been. Back when we were learning unarmed combat as a clan, Sascha would get beaten up every session, I mean we all took our lumps, but Sascha was always getting the worst of it. We all could see him slowing down, see the toll it was taking on him, so as a clan we made a pact that we would take it easy on him for the next few days during practice. I mean we were his friends; we wanted to look out for him in any way that we could."

"That sounds like you were being a good friend," noted Luminara.

"It was an idea born out of good intentions," replied Tyra, "But when he found out about the pact we had made, Sascha got incredibly angry at all of us, it was probably the first, and last time I'll ever see Sascha that angry. We actually used to joke he was half Sluissi, because he never seemed to lose his temper." Tyra smiled to herself, the other Initiates used to call Sascha the 'little professor' because of his deep calm, and seemingly endless knowledge of the most obscure topics. She continued, "Anyway, he basically said that if we wouldn't give a full effort, we were basically setting him up to fail, because when he was out there using these techniques fighting for his life, his opponents damn sure weren't going to take it easy on him. He was right, of course."

"The next day in unarmed combat class, I hit him with a hard roundhouse kick. Honestly, I thought I broke his nose. I wasn't trying to, of course, but I hadn't learned to control myself that well. Sascha got up, holding his bloody nose, totally ecstatic. I remember him saying 'See, now I'm never going to fall for that again, because that kriffing hurt!'"

"The next day in unarmed combat class, Sascha's nose was still bruised, and 'Iron Hand' had wanted to give him the day off, but he insisted that he was fine. We sparred again, and I started off trying to take it easy on him, but he kept hitting me with these annoying kicks, and eventually I just got fed up. I tried the same roundhouse kick that had flattened him the previous day, but before my kick could land he hit me with a kick to the solar plexus that left me gasping for air." Tyra felt her hand drift to her stomach, reliving that particular memory, she remembered the pain, but she also remembered the pride she felt for her friend at that moment.

"Sascha may be easy to underestimate but he's still very capable, still a Jedi, and his toughness is what makes him capable." Tyra paused, looking at the floor, "He was the best of us…and I wouldn't be standing here without him."

Luminara looked confused, "I don't understand Padawan Harker, you were always marked to be a strong candidate to be a Jedi Knight. In fact if I recall correctly there was quite a number of Jedi who wanted to take you as their Padawan."

Tyra shook her head, sending her Padawan braid brushing against her neck, "I wouldn't have gotten to that point if it wasn't for Sascha. I've always been intense, but when I was younger, I hadn't learned to channel it as well as I have now. Let me tell you a story of how things almost went horribly wrong for me." She took a deep breath, "I had always been the best student in the clan, Sascha, Eida, and Sarn could challenge me academically, and Doro and Trigg were approximately my equals when it came to the Force, but altogether I was the best Jedi in Dragon clan, and everyone knew it. I was their leader."

"That was until I hit a run of subjects that I was just terrible at, hyperspace math, Starfighter tactics and there was something else, I forget now, but I found myself at the bottom of the class for once. The worst part was there was this inter-clan tournament coming up where the clan that ran the best combined time in the obstacle course would win a training session with Master Windu. Everyone was so excited, they wanted to win so badly, to finally win one of these inter-clan tournaments, we'd always come close but we never managed to win. Anyway, because the rest of my clan mates were doing well in class they had time to plan out a good strategy for the course, but I didn't because I was struggling mightily just trying to understand what was happening in class."

"The day of the tournament came and all of Dragon clan was performing well, at the end they just needed me to put in an average performance and we'd have won. I think they all assumed that they had already won, I mean how could Tyra Harker do worse than average? Of course, I failed miserably put in a terrible time, and I lost the whole thing for the clan."

"Were your friends upset at you?" inquired Luminara gently.

Tyra smiled, "Not at all, they were completely magnanimous about the whole thing. By the time we were walking back to our rooms, they had all agreed that they didn't really want to train with Master Windu, after all didn't he have a reputation for being a hard trainer? It actually made me feel worse, for the first time I had let the clan down. I should have just shook it off, or talked to someone, I mean we all had a run of subjects we were bad at…no Jedi is good at everything, but no, I was furious at myself for failing my friends, and I held my emotions inside of me."

"Well, the next day in hyperspace math, it was just more numbers and functions that I didn't understand and I exploded in anger on poor Master Leem. I was convinced I was stupid, convinced I was on the path to failing out of the Temple, which I actually was if I let my frustration consume me."

"I retreated to my room, furious. Sascha came to my room after class, as a friend should do, to see what was wrong. I just wanted to be left alone, I called him every name in the book, I insulted his lack of talent, his homeworld, his appearance, everything, it was shameful really. But, Sascha took it all placidly, like he didn't hear me say anything at all, he just challenged me to a game of push-feather.'"

"I remember yelling at him, thinking he was the stupidest person in the galaxy for challenging me to a stupid game when I clearly wanted to be left alone. Sascha being Sascha simply stood there until I relented. I thought I would just beat him quickly like I usually did and then he'd leave me alone."

"Something tells me that didn't happen," said Luminara wryly.

A tiny smile appeared on her face, "Not even close. The whole point of push-feather is that it doesn't really matter how strong you are in the Force, but how calm you are and how well you can sense the other person's pushes. Well, I was the opposite of calm and no matter how hard I tried I could not push him over, he just stood their stoically, calmly deflecting my Force pushes. Then he simply reached out with the Force and nudged me, and I fell over like a drunkard."

Tyra chewed her lip, remembering that moment, "I was sure this was the end of me as a Jedi, I had gone from the best student in the clan, to being unable to beat the worst student in a simple game. I just lay on the ground in a heap and cried, and cried and cried…I thought my entire future was going up in smoke right in front of my eyes. Sascha came to my side, and wrapped his arms around me, he didn't say a word, he just held me as I balled my eyes out, he was just so calm, so strong…it felt like being in his arms was the safest place in the galaxy."

Tyra continued wistfully, "When I finally calmed down, I finally confessed what had been bothering me, how I was struggling for the first time. He didn't laugh at me, though he'd have been well within his rights to. Instead, he solemnly pledged that he'd help me through this rough patch, he'd help me with the subjects I was struggling with. Sascha promised that I would become the Jedi Knight he knew I could be. It was a process, but eventually he showed me how to channel my intensity productively, so it didn't become self-destructive, but instead focused me. I don't know what I would have become without him, whether I could have been set back on the right path, but I do know that I wouldn't be the Jedi I am today without him. The debt that I owe him is incalculable."

Luminara appeared to consider this new information briefly, "He does seemingly have the ability to influence young Jedi and put them on to the right path, that's what he seemingly did with Initiate, now Padawan Nalto. Did he ever tell you about her?"

Tyra shook her head wordlessly, Luminara seemed slightly surprised, "Well in the second round of the apprentice tournament, Sascha faced Nara Nalto a Togruta, such a study of opposites it was, Sascha calm and determined, Nara fiery and arrogant. Many Masters thought that Nara was too arrogant, too selfish to become a good Jedi Knight despite her obvious talents; they wondered if anyone would take on the challenge of such a Padawan at all. Sascha gave Nara her best test in the entire tournament, Sascha had her so well scouted that if he had been a little more talented he would have almost certainly won. Sascha, by exemplifying everything a Jedi should be somehow got through to Nara when all other efforts had failed. She won the tournament, and seemingly transformed overnight into a Padawan that maybe still has some arrogance to her, but no more than any other Padawan that has her talents. I'm not entirely sure that Sascha understands what happened, I meant to ask him, but we've been so busy."

"Sascha always did love helping people, I'm sure even if he wasn't a Jedi he'd be volunteering for some charity somewhere in the galaxy. It's just the way he's programmed." Tyra paused to think, "It's strange," she laughed, "we're talking about him like he's dead, but he's just in the other room and he's going to be fine, he's not going anywhere…he just might have an artificial arm. If you would have told us a couple of hours ago that we'd both survive and that the cost would be that maybe Sascha would lose his arm, we'd have accepted in a heartbeat."

The two Jedi stared through the transparisteel window silently, each hoping for a positive outcome. Tyra sent Sascha a silent prayer, 'Come on Sascha, I know you're tough enough to pull through this, we promised each other we'd go on lots of missions together and I know that you know 'lots' means more than one…


End file.
